Hunting or Bust
by Master Attlon
Summary: The paths we find ourselves on. Are they predetermined by fate? Or do we really have the power to change our future? Will we stick to the paths we find ourselves on? Or if a chance presented itself, would you take it? This is a new path. A new chance at life. A...did that kid just spew chunks all over the deck? Yes. Yes he did.
1. Your Ultimatum

Hunting or Bust

Dust 1: Your Ultimatum

I kinda threw this story together because I love RWBY as a series and thought about writing about it. This will probably just be an experiment.

I'm probably just going to stick with a T rating for this because I can pass the language pretty easily and there's not much else I can add to it that would make it horrifying. If I go on further and think to change it, I'll make it M. This is a fairly light-hearted show. Unlike Red vs Blue, that's a show with a Sailor's Mouth washed out by vinegar.

So anyway...

On with the show!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

In a small business town in the country of Vale, there was a building where a very important piece of business was being discussed.

And on top of a building of similar size just across the street from it, there were two figures standing on the roof, looking down at their target.

"Hehehe, there it is. I'll give the Schnee Dust Company credit, it was a pretty good idea to conduct a transfer like this somewhere no one would expect people to come and raid it." A cocky smirk grew on the whiskered teen's face, "Too bad that word travels fast towards us."

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" The other man asked while leaning on a crate on the roof, "I mean, we get told to steal some Dust every now and then but this seems like a pretty big take. The risk is high if we get caught. There's a reason Wilsk has a special team of people chosen to steal from the Schnee Dust Company."

"But the cut is awesome if we make it!" The blond said with a cheer in his voice as he tried to persuade his friend. This man was a tall boy, seventeen years of age. He had three thin black lines across each cheek and his canine teeth were slightly more pronounced than most people. He had a light blue long-sleeved undershirt with an orange vest over it. And black pants with orange stripes running down the seams leading to a pair of black boots. Strapped to his tailbone was a small pack of items and attached along the center of his back was a red scabbard with a hook at the end of its hilt. He had little strands of blond hair peeking out from underneath the blue bandana he tied over his head.

"Naruto, I think you're purposefully ignoring the part about the guards, security, and the chances of us landing somewhere behind bars." The other man was a young handsome teen standing at about the same height as his blond cohort. He had ebony hair with bangs that lowered down to his chin. He had on a grey shirt and blue pants with tennis shoes that would better accompany him with mobility and escape. Attached to his right hip was a white scabbard with two fore-ends on its side and a small trigger device between them.

"Ah, Sauske, stop bein' so pessimistic man!" Naruto jumped up and threw an arm over his partner-in-crime's shoulder, "Think about it! These Dust Clump things are the biggest sources of unrefined, untapped Dust Crystals in Remnant! We swipe 'em, move 'em, send 'em through the right guys, and we get a serious dent in the debt! Hell, it might be enough to wipe the whole thing! What could possibly go wrong?"

Sasuke looked at him with a dry glare and shook his head, "You seriously didn't just tempt fate by saying that, did you?"

"Fate shmate-"

"You're making it worse."

"-All that matters is the hard work we put into it."

"Yeah well it doesn't really look like you're gonna put that much work into it." Sasuke leaned back and partially unsheathed the sword on Naruto's back with a raised eyebrow, "You only brought _Stormer _with you?"

"Hey!" Naruto stepped forward and pulled his sword back into its sheathe before gently petting it like a pet. He responded, "Yeah, of course I only brought _Stormer_. Bringing _Gatling _would be overkill. I only take those babies out for the really important jobs."

"And this doesn't constitute as an important job, why?"

"Look." Naruto jumped up on the ledge of the roof and pulled his blade out from behind his back. He spun it in his hand with an experienced move before smirking back at his friend, "It's us. We can handle anything thrown our way."

Sasuke just looked up from his position before hanging his head and sighing. He grasped the scabbard and pulled out his sword before stepping up on the ledge as well. He looked over at Naruto, "If this goes belly-up, I'm blaming you."

"As you rightfully should."

The two teens jumped down from the building and lowered themselves to the street. They maneuvered through the shadows and climbed the side of another building before making their way up to the roof of their target. Sasuke held his sword against the window on the roof and carefully ran the tip in a circle until it cut clean through.

The sliced up window almost fell to the floor a dozen feet down but Naruto grabbed it and pulled it out of the way. Naruto ran his fingers over his sword out and gripped it in anticipation, "You ready?"

Sasuke cleared the way, "You first."

Naruto jumped down from the roof and landed in a crouch before he prepared for battle, "WRAHHHHHHHHH-hey what happened?"

There were a dozen guards laying unconscious on the floor. In the center of the room were several men dressed in black suits, packing up the shipments of Dust and Dust Crystals in large crates to be hauled in two separate vans. And the Dust Clumps were being stored in suitcases and handcuffed to the robbers' wrists. The eight men looked up to see the two teens standing in the center of the room.

Sasuke blinked, "Hey, someone else had the same idea."

Naruto...was far less amused at the revelation...

"HEY YOU ASSHOLES, THAT'S OUR SCORE! DROP IT!"

The robbers looked between each other after the blond's exclamation. Five of them pulled out large, collapsible red blades and the last three pulled out sub-machine guns. Sasuke and Naruto reacted and dove behind a couple of steel barrels while the men started laying fire.

The two thieves ducked their heads while bullets riddled the steel and space just above their head. Sasuke covered his ears and yelled, "Regretting not bringing the rest of your weapons?!"

Naruto yelled back, "Thinkin' 'bout it!"

Sasuke used his sword to get a look at the men attacking them. He watched as three men got into one van and started it up, "One of the vans is moving!"

"What?!"

"They're getting away with all the Dust!" Sasuke ducked down as a bullet nearly went through his head. He looked towards the ducking blond, "What's the plan now?!"

Naruto thought for a moment before a lightbulb blinked over his head before being immediately destroyed by a stray bullet. Naruto sat up a little, "Okay, you stay here and take care of the rest of these guys! And make sure that the van doesn't escape here without you being behind the wheel! I'll chase after the guys that are already running!"

"Okay! Solid plan!" Sasuke nodded before a second passed, "What's your plan for dodging the bullets?!"

"Pfft! You know bullets can't hurt me!" Naruto looked off to the side, "Well, I mean, not for very long at least!"

"I still suggest we try to stop them shooting for a moment so you can run!"

"Then let's try this!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's scabbard and cocked the fore-end closer to the bottom, uncovering a small compartment that opened up to reveal a double-barreled shotgun. Naruto pointed it at the wall and fired off a round, shooting a powerful blast and nearly destroying the whole wall.

The robbers stopped for a moment and all faced towards the wall where they had heard the loud bang.

Naruto flipped out from behind the barrels and jumped over the heads of the robbers. He landed in a crouch before making a mad dash after the van that had rounded the corner.

While the crooks were still surprised by Naruto's sudden departure, Sasuke vaulted over the barrel with one hand on the edge of it. He spun on his knees and tossed the steel barrel at the group of thugs, knocking them all away and on their butts.

While one of the gunners tried to lift himself up again, Sasuke stepped on his gun before kicking him across the face and knocking him out. Sasuke pulled the scabbard out from the strap around his hip and used it as a secondary weapon to block a sword coming down on him. The black-haired thief thrusted his scabbard into the man's hand and spun the blade out of his grip, disarming him.

Sauske kicked him in the stomach, before using an extra push to kick him across the face and block a second sword strike. Sasuke landed on his feet and raised his scabbard to block another blade before they started crossing weapons. Sasuke handled both men expertly with his _Vollmond Reflexion _in his left hand and the shotgun scabbard in his right.

The men were completely dumbfounded while they were held back by the teen's skilled moves. Sasuke pushed the blade off his scabbard, spun his blade in his hand and turned on his feet, cut one thug with the dull edge of his sword, turned around again and brought the hilt down on the hand of the last remaining swordsman. Disarmed, the robber could only watch as Sasuke flipped through the air and planted both his feet into the man's face.

With all visible enemies defeated, Sasuke landed on his feet, sheathed his sword again, and for good measure he cocked the fore-end that was closer to the hilt of his blade.

"D-don't move!"

Sasuke opened his eye and looked back at the fifth and last remaining guy of the group, nervously shaking while holding a sub-machine gun in his hand. He motioned towards the floor, "Put the sword-gun-um-scary weapon thing on the ground besides you! R-right now."

Sasuke blinked before he slowly started to comply. He switched the hand carrying his sheathed weapon and held it so the hilt was facing towards the armed robber. Sasuke slowly kneeled down and started placing it on the floor...before pulling the trigger and firing the sword at the robber at the speed of a bullet.

The hilt slammed into the gun, struck the thug in the center of his sternum, blew him off his feet and landed him a little space on the floor for him to rest unconsciously.

Sasuke looked around at his handiwork before shrugging, "That...actually went better than I thought it would."

And, as if fate was finally catching up, Sasuke heard the sounds of multiple guns behind cocked behind him.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"THIS IS NOT GOING AS WELL AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD!" Naruto yelled to himself as he jumped over a dumpster and used a lamppost to make a sharp turn around a corner. Sprinting after the van for nearly an entire minute now, Naruto finally caught sight of the white vehicle before it turned another corner.

Naruto remembered the layout of the surrounding area and realized that the van would have to pass by two more buildings before being able to get on the freeway. The blond thief sprinted across the street and through an alley before he caught sight of a fire-escape just above his head. With amazing agility, Naruto jumped from platform to platform until he climbed his way up to the roof.

He peered over the edge and watched the white van swerve around the corner and come down the road directly underneath him. He took a step back, prepped himself for the impact with a deep breath, and jumped right over the edge.

The three robbers looked at their haul and checked if they were being followed. The one in the back yelled at the two in the front seats, "What happened?! Who were those two kids?! We didn't plan for this! We should've brought more knockout gas!"

The one driving just fearfully shook his head, "Oh man, Mr. Torchwick is not gonna be happy about this!"

"Where's the rest of them?! I don't see the other van!"

"Both of you calm down!" The guy in the passenger seat said as he gripped the suitcase closely to his chest, "We'll drop the Dust off in a safe place, go back to the warehouse, and make sure that-"

***THUMP***

"OW!"

The roof of the van indented when Naruto's full weight landed squarely in the center. He rubbed his head before realizing he had landed on his target and laughed, "Sweet!"

***Schwip***

The tip of a red blade popped out right in front of him after stabbing through the roof. Naruto leaned back as one of the robbers started shooting upwards. Naruto knocked on the roof, "Hey! That's dangerous! Keep doing that and -"

***Schwip***

Naruto looked down to see another sword had just barely missed severing his crotch by at least two inches. He clicked his teeth and grabbed the sword on his back, "Enough of this!" He started repeatedly stabbing the roof of the car, "STOP! STABBING! AT! ME!"

The van started to swerve and ram into the surrounding walls and buildings along the street. Naruto's meddling distracted the robbers and made them miss the turn into the freeway.

The blond struggled to keep his balance and held on tight to the sword stabbed into the van so that he didn't fall off. He realized that the thugs were ramming into the wall to try and knock him off so he prepared for a new course of action. He reached into his small pack and pulled out a thin piece of steel wire. He looped it through the hook at the end of _Stormer's _hilt and used it to rappel as he jumped onto the side of the van.

When Naruto tried to grab the wheel of the van, the side door slid open and one of the thugs pulled out his red blade. Naruto let out a quick yelp before moving his feet and legs to dodge the sword from cutting into them.

When one of the man's swings was a bit too wide, Naruto pinned his wrist to the side of the van with his foot. With just a bit more pressure, the man flinched in pain and dropped his sword into the street. Naruto then proceeded to unleash a quick flurry of kicks to the man's stomach, sternum, cheek, cheek, hip, stomach, and chin before he fell back unconscious.

Naruto then tried to reach for the handle of the front door but barely dodged bullets piercing through the window. One of them scraped along his cheek and left a bloody gash before Naruto got fed up and punched the driver in anger, "PRICK!"

But after his little outburst, Naruto and the thug in the passenger's seat realized that their driver was unconscious and no one was left to steer the van. They looked between each other, and then looked forward to see the oncoming lamppost and wall.

Naruto pulled on the wire in his hand and dislodged his blade just in time to jump off and roll in the streets. The van broke through the lamppost and slammed into the wall, luckily losing most of its momentum from crashing into the street lamp.

Naruto lifted himself up and looked down to see a bloody gash running up the inside of his right arm and some skin hanging off what remained of his left knee. He hissed and covered his arm, "All things considered, this is pretty light to walk away from."

Naruto saw his blade _Stormer _lying on the sidewalk with the wire still around his palm. He pushed himself up on his feet and started making his way towards the van to take back the items he was asked to procure. But he heard one of the doors being kicked open and could see the gun-toting thug stumble around the crashed van with the suitcase held under his arm. He aimed his sub-machine gun at the blond, "Stop right there!"

Naruto raised one hand in the air, "Easy man. Your nerves are a little shot after the crash. You need to calm down and watch how you handle that thing."

"We were just supposed to take the Dust to Mr. Torchwick! This was supposed to be a quick in-and-out kinda job!" He motioned towards the wrecked van and the two groaning thugs inside it, "This! This is not in-and-out!"

"Yeah, believe me dude, things never really go the way you plan them."

The thug took a moment to look the blond teen over and noticed the blooded right sleeve and left knee. He thought this was his best chance to escape, "You're injured too so you can't stop us anymore! So here's what you're gonna do! Turn around, limp away, and never mention this to anyone ever again!"

"That sounds like a fair plan." Naruto nodded with a slight tilt in his head, "But...the thing is...there's a flaw in your logic..."

Naruto ducked and swiftly pulled on the wire in his hand, pulling _Stormer_ off the sidewalk and directly into his palm. He spun the blade so the hilt was facing forward and twisted the handle so the bottom opened up, shooting out a small flat-tip arrow that impacted against the thug's chest and blew him into the side of the van.

Naruto spun his sword in his hand and stood back up before looking at his injuries, smirking at the sight of his now healed flesh, "I take game-breaking injuries like a champ."

The defeated thug groaned on the floor while clutching his chest, feeling like a truck just slammed squarely in his sternum. Naruto sympathized with the man while walking by his side, "Yeah, I know Shades, it hurts like a bitch. But you shouldn't have gotten between me and my mark."

Naruto broke the handcuff and pried the suitcase open to reveal a solid, raw red Dust Clump. He smirked and gently pulled the massive crystal out of the suitcase before smirking and holding it level with his face, "We win."

And then the sounds of dozens of tires screeching and guns cocking reached his ears.

He lowered the crystal out of his view and saw there were dozens of cop cars, armed cops, a SWAT van, and a Bullhead surrounding him.

("We have you surrounded! Put the Dust and sword on the ground and then put your hands in the air!")

Naruto was absolutely speechless. Usually he had a snarky comment, quip, or joke to make, but he was just so surprised by the sudden appearance of Law Enforcement that he couldn't say anything.

In the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted Sasuke sitting in the back of a cop car. The black-haired teen was slowly shaking his head, telegraphing that their luck had finally run out and it was better not to fight it.

Naruto nervously waved, "Hey officers! I didn't see you there! But-um-I caught these guys!" Naruto pointed to the thugs in the van, "So, no problems there! Um-oh! I found this too!" Naruto pointed to the Dust in his hand, "Yeah, it looks kinda important so I thought it would be better to keep it safe with the rest of the stuff before you guys came!"

"...Do I get a reward?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

***Thump*Thump*Thump*Thump*Thump*Thump***

Nope. Ten minutes of solid head slamming against a metal table and Naruto could safely say this was not just a bad dream.

The whiskered blond just rested his head on the metal table in the middle of the interrogation room in the police station. His eyes immediately locked on to the one-way mirror encompassing an entire section of the wall.

This was not how it was supposed to end.

He didn't really know how it was going to end, but being arrested and locked up was not his preferred last freedom.

He always had a gut feeling that told him that if he kept going down this path that it was going to end up like this. But he never believed it. They only ever did jobs like this to pay back their debt and feed themselves. They never hurt anyone. Or at least when they did, they knocked them out quick and easy so when they woke up all they had was a bad headache.

And he doubted there was going to be anyone to speak on his behalf. He was out of contact with his dad. He hadn't seen his mom in ages, and even if she did try to help him it would probably end in carnage. No friends. Amigos. Forced acquaintances. The only guy that Naruto had a real friendship with was probably in another room being questioned.

"Ughhhh...man, Sasuke's gonna be pissed when he sees me again. I can already hear it now..." Naruto cleared his throat before putting a little nasally tone in his voice, "_Naruto, I told you this job was going to be too dangerous._"

"Hey, it's not my fault some goons from some little backwater gang got the same idea as us! I just know we were gonna get in some serious trouble with Wilsk if we didn't deliver!"

_"Well that's what happens when you agree to work with a sociopath. And now you're under arrest and going to jail. I hope it was worth it."_

"Y'know Sasuke, in case you haven't noticed yet, you got arrested too! So you should just can the stuck-up asshole treatment and stop lecturing me!"

After a moment, Naruto had a smug look on his face for winning the argument with himself. Luckily for him, someone walked through the door and halted his slow descent into madness.

The man that walked in was a middle-aged, well-dressed gentleman with unruly grey hair and shaded glasses. He was wearing a black suit, a black vest, a green undershirt and a dark-green scarf. He was carrying a Scroll underneath his armpit and a mug of coffee and a cane in his hand.

Naruto blinked in confusion at the sight of the man. He didn't look like any policeman or detective he had ever seen before.

The grey-haired man walked over to the empty seat across from Naruto and sat down. He placed his coffee mug on the table and started flipping through the information on the Scroll, "Naruto Uzumaki. Age:17. Sasuke Uchiha. Age:17. Apprehended at two sites where a large quantity of Dust was being stolen and transported. One in a warehouse owned by the Schnee Dust Company. Another, several blocks down the street in a van that crashed into the wall. From the items taken off your person we have a Scroll, a small belt pack containing at least 100ft of steel wire and smoke bombs, and one very sharp blade not usually found on a normal 'petty thief'."

Naruto lifted one foot to place on the table and motioned to his now shoeless feet, "Was it really necessary to take my boots too?"

"Was it really necessary to keep knives concealed in the heels of both boots?"

"Hmmm, touché."

"Under most circumstances, it would be written that you two were just passing-by before you tried to take the Dust and make off with it to sell for a good profit. But, after finishing the robbers' treatment before arresting them, they said you two were there to steal the Dust for yourselves. You then proceeded to defeat eight armed thugs by yourselves before the local Law Enforcement came on the scene. Also..." The older man brought up another file on the Scroll, "We have reports that two criminals matching your descriptions have been spotted in surrounding areas, committing Grand Theft Auto and minor counts of Larceny. With assumptions like this and the testimonies of the robbers, there could be a full out investigation on both of your involvements in this case."

Naruto had a scowl on his face while the calm gentleman continued to read off his Scroll and sum the two teenagers' situation up nicely. He asked with some venom in his voice, "So why don't you just arrest us if you have so much faith in the evidence?"

"Because, I'm far more interested..." The man started swiping over the screen and pulled up a video before showing it to the bandana-wearing teen, "In this."

The video started playing and it showed Naruto flipping over cars, up buildings, maneuvering around the van for the best point to attack, and beating the last robber with the weapon hidden in the hilt of his blade. Naruto was confused and raised an eyebrow, "How the hell did you get all that footage?"

The man had a small smile, "You'd be surprised how much cameras can capture when a van starts swerving around madly in the middle of a street." He laid the Scroll on the table as it continued to play the footage, "Now there is no record of you having any formal training with any school, military group, contractor, or militia in the database. Where did you learn to do this?"

Naruto kept his lips sealed tight.

"Well then I'd like to know more about that weapon of yours. It's very well maintained. Sharp, sturdy, and practical for more than one use as you showed in that little demonstration of yours. And also, capable of firing these off rather spectacularly."

The man pulled out and evidence bag and showed it to the boy, revealing a small collapsible arrow with a flat tip that Naruto had fired off after the crash. He examined it closely, "Pressurized, high impact, concussive-point arrows. Strong. Devastating. And in the hand of an expert that knows where to correctly fire them, let's say in the center of the chest, they can be non-lethal but still pack quite a punch. And we found fifty of them compacted into your hilt with a device that shoots them one at a time by row."

He placed the bag next to the Scroll and leaned back in his chair, "They don't sell swords that fire off rounds like that in most weapon shops. You made this, correct? But not at one of the training academies, I'm guessing-"

"Okay, it's becoming clear to me that you're hinting at something and I'm gonna guess you ain't a cop." Naruto narrowed his eyes, "What do you want?"

The man sat forward and grabbed his coffee mug, "Just for clarity, do you know who I am?"

Naruto shook his head.

The middle-aged man nodded, "My name is Ozpin."

Naruto's eyes slowly started to widen before they almost looked like dinner plates. He sat up a little, "Ozpin? As in Professor Ozpin? Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Ozpin?"

"Oh, that's good. At least you know who I am." He raised his mug, "That saves us a little exposition."

"No, actually, I could use a little exposition." Naruto looked over the older man in confusion, "Like what the hell is a guy like you doing questioning some kid in a police station?"

Ozpin finished sipping from his mug and looked at the young blond, "I have made many friends and connections throughout Remnant in my time. Some I can request information from if I so need it. Enough information that I know a good deal about both you and your friend Sasuke Uchiha."

"Pfft." Naruto scoffed and crossed his arms, "You don't know anything."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Naruto's eyes widened, "Oh god you know everything."

Ozpin just nodded his head. He leaned forward, "I know enough. I know the basic outlines of both of your histories. And considering what I know, not only are you able to work together but that you are actually friends, I am most impressed."

"Then...if you know our backgrounds..." Naruto inquired, "Why are you here?"

"Because one of the acts I can't stand most in the world is watching people with talents such as yours go to waste like this. This world is at peace but at a moment's notice that could change for the worse. So when I find two very capable young men using their skills so recklessly like this, I take notice. And I don't wish to waste an opportunity to change that."

Ozpin looked at the young man, "I would like for you and Mr. Uchiha to come and join the next arrival of students for the new year at Beacon Academy. I've given Mr. Uchiha the same offer I'm giving you right now."

Naruto was shocked. Actually, the best term might have been gob-smacked. This was...this HAD to be a dream. Beacon was the dream school of any kid that wanted to become a Huntsmen or Huntress, someone who could change the world. Those stories and hero tales he had heard about as a kid-THOSE GUYS CAME FROM BEACON!

Naruto blinked before reality started to play, "A-are you sure you would want two criminals in your school? Wouldn't we be bad for all the actual heroes? And I...I don't have any of the education needed to enter a prestigious school like that."

"It's a school, Mr. Uzumaki, its primary function is to help you learn what you need to know." He shrugged his shoulders, "To be fair, there may be a learning curve that will be difficult to overcome but not impossible. And while you might be mischievous, I wouldn't go so far as to call you criminals."

Naruto furrowed his brow and seriously contemplated the consequences of what this decision could do.

"We may think differently, and you may be able to think of different solutions than I do, but from my point of view you have three choices ahead of you." Ozpin looked into his coffee mug, "1) Accept my offer, try to overcome the odds, and hope for something good to come out of it. 2) Get locked up for any crimes you may have committed, serve your time, hope for parole, and pray you never meet some of the real bad guys in there. Or 3) Try to knock me out, escape from this station without any weapons or footgear, and stay on the run for the rest of your life hoping you never get caught. Preferably, I'd try to stay away from number three."

He lowered his mug and looked into the whiskered boy's conflicted blue eyes, "I can't promise you a future Mr. Uzumaki. I can't even promise you that I know which choice would be better for you. But I implore you...make a decision that would benefit you and your future."

Naruto blinked...and leaned back into his chair...

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The intercom rang, ("Students, we will soon be arriving in the City of Vale. And we will be docking at Beacon Academy soon after.")

Naruto had his arms thrown over the railing and was hanging off it like a rag doll as he looked out the window at the beautiful landscape. Instead of his normal jumpy self, the blond felt rather confused about what was going to happen next.

"Geez, you look like you just had all your teeth pulled out with a toothpick and a rusty spoon." Sasuke said as he walked up and leaned against the railing besides the blond, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I mean, getting a chance to attend Beacon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but this...feels weird." He looked up at the black-haired boy, "Does this feel weird?"

"A little." Sasuke agreed with a minor shrug before looking out the window, "But getting a chance in Beacon...I don't think there's anything in the world better than that. Plus, I think anything is better than working on the streets for criminal bosses and gangs to get a quick buck."

Naruto was silent for a moment, "That Ozpin guy knew who we were. At least he said he kinda did. What if he's trying to get leverage over something? What should we do if this goes south?"

Sasuke thought about that possibility and shook his head, "We won't let it."

A television broadcast about an orange-haired criminal and a Faunus protest gone wrong turned to static before the image of a pretty blonde woman in a white suit, black skirt and cape appeared for everyone around them. She greeted them, ("Hello, and welcome to Beacon!")

Naruto asked, "Who's that?"

("My name is Glynda Goodwitch.")

"Oh."

Glynda continued, ("All of you here are a prestigious few that have proven that you are ready for the next step by attending our academy. This is a time of peace and tranquility that we must not let escape, so we hope to put our futures in the hands of capable Huntsmen and Huntresses such as yourselves. The future road may be hard and perilous, but we have faith that you may not only find strength in yourself but others as well. And until that time has come, we will do whatever possible to provide you with the knowledge and skill needed. We eagerly await your arrival...and welcome to Beacon.")

The hologram disappeared and some of the students started talking between each other. Naruto chuckled, "Geez, if that doesn't put a weight on your shoulders nothing will."

"It probably won't be so bad." Sasuke countered, "There's probably a few people that have it worse off than others."

"Like who?"

"O-oh god! I-I can't!" They looked over to see a boy their age with scruffy blond hair cover his mouth and step away from the window. He stumbled and desperately made a run for a garbage can.

Sasuke pointed towards the barfing young man, "Him, for example."

"Fair point."

"We're going to be landing soon. Be prepared." Sasuke patted Naruto's shoulder before walking off to look out a different window. Naruto just stared out as the City of Vale appeared underneath them and Beacon Academy appeared just in their sights.

Here we go. The second chance. A whole new life.

"Oh gross, it got on your shoes!"

"Gross! Gross! Gross! Gross!"

"Ew-Yang, no! Get away! Keep your barf covered shoes away from me!"

"I need your cape! I gotta wipe it off!"

"Ew no! You aren't using my cape to wipe off your nasty shoes! I like my cape as is!"

"I'm your sister!"

"My barf covered sister!"

Yep. A whole new life.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**This is just an experiment. To see if I could write for a show like RWBY and try deviating from other stories like the ones I've written already, I don't know how but I may think of it further down the road.**_

_**Please, before any of you start PMing me, sending flames, or just plain start arguing about Sasuke being in the series, he isn't the Sasuke from the show or other fics. I can't promise a similar Sasuke to the canon won't appear in some of my other stories, but this one is definitely not him.**_

_**All other Sasukes that appear in the stories I've read are portrayed as asshole, emo, dark avenger, arrogant, ignorant, self-indulgent...the list goes on.**_

_**But I'm gonna try this to give him another chance. He doesn't have the baggage of saving a clan. He doesn't have the trauma of watching his brother slay everyone he loves and cares about in a single night. None of that 'destined for hatred and loneliness because of your family and Indra' crap. **_

_**If people start complaining that a Sasuke that isn't like that might as well be an OC, then boo-fucking-hoo, I guess that's that. And I don't wanna hear about it.**_

_**Anyway, getting back on track, these two have lives they're trying to diverge from and a certain awesome training school might be their ticket out.**_

_**If we go further in and I think I want to change the rating, I'll change it to M.**_

_**I hope you enjoy.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	2. Welcome to Beacon

Hunting or Bust

Dust 2: Welcome to Beacon

For the last few weeks, all I've heard from friends and co-workers is that the Guardians Of The Galaxy movie was gonna suck. A ridiculous talking raccoon? A living tree? How it was just gonna try too hard to be a Star Wars rip-off.

I was more than overjoyed that after I saw it, I then invited each of them to suck and or lick it.

Seriously, go watch it. No hesitation. No second thoughts. It's good. Not just as a Marvel movie but a summer movie in general.

The only complaint I would give is that several days after seeing it and I've still got all that 70's and 80's music in my head.

(Come and get your love, come and get your love, Come and get your love now~)

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Several large airships carefully docked on a platform that partially led off a cliff just outside of the massive school structure that was Beacon Academy. Their thrusters and wings folded into the side and changed into a hovering function so that the oncoming students could arrive.

One airship slowly started opening its doors-

"Oh god! Oh god!" The scraggly blond boy stumbled and forced himself out the door and barely made it to the trashcan. He heaved, "***BLARGH*!*BLARGH*!**"

The rest of the students calmly made their way out while doing their damnedest not to bring attention to the vomiting young man.

Naruto scratched the bandana on his head and let out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad that's over. That was probably the most uncomfortable trip I've ever had."

Sasuke did his best not to show any weakness or gag but still had his nose covered to avoid the smell. He swiped the air around him, "It was starting to get hot and...rancid in there."

Naruto stretched his arms out and looked around at their surroundings. Hundreds of teenaged students making their way out of the ships and towards the huge school building. That was a school? It was like a landmark castle!

"Okay, so, what do we do now?"

Sasuke looked at a pamphlet he took before the ship departed, "It says that before the orientation in the main presentation hall, we should go and check out our luggage so they can take it to the school." Sasuke reached into his pocket and held his other hand out towards Naruto, "Here, give me your ticket."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he pulled the ticket out of his vest pocket. He handed it to his friend, "Why?"

"So I can go check off our stuff." Sasuke motioned to the surrounding area, "Why don't you-I don't know-explore. Look around. Socialize. Meet new people."

"Ughhhhhhhh..." Naruto groaned in despair, "But that's awkward, boring, and annoying as hell."

"Then you'd better get started." Sasuke walked away and waved behind his back, "See you later."

Naruto sighed before standing up straight and looking around at all the new arrivals. So these were the best of the best that had to offer their skills towards being Huntsmen and Huntresses. He had to admit that he was kinda excited at the chance to see what this life had to offer.

Despite the expected free admission to Beacon, both Naruto and Sasuke had to go through separate tests to prove themselves worthy to be accepted. And while the test wasn't the most difficult experience in the world, it certainly wasn't easy.

All of these people passed a test that was the same or at least very similar to the one he did. But unlike him, all of them had studied, practiced, and trained for numerous years to enter a place like this. There were probably a few people here that would give him a run for his money.

No, there might be a few people here that would straight up plant his ass in the ground.

Naruto grinned at the thought. He couldn't help it, this was getting interest-

"***BLARGH*!**"

This was get-

"***BLARGH*!**"

This-

"***BLARRRRRRgghhhhhhhhh***, ughhhhhhh, why a big ship? Why?"

Naruto slumped his shoulders and realized that the whole 'enjoying the scenery' thing probably wasn't going to be appropriate with all the barfing and retching happening just a few feet away from him.

The young man supported himself by holding on to the side of the trashcan while he tried to find his bearings once again. He wiped his mouth, "If-ugh-if I knew we were gonna come here by ship like this, I probably would've preferred walking." He panted for a moment before shaking his head, "That's not true. I don't like walking long distances like that. Makes me uncomfortable."

The blond lad felt someone pat his back and raised his head in surprise. He looked up to see another boy wearing a gold bandana with strange markings on his cheeks standing besides him, "It's all right man, we're all feeling a little nervous. There's no shame in that."

The former retching blond actually felt a little touched that someone would assist him while he was figuratively spewing his guts. The young man stood up, revealing the black hoodie, white chest plate, and blue jeans he wore with a white scabbard on the side. He gave a weak smile and nodded, "T-thanks. I-um-didn't think anyone would actually pay me any mind after I started throwing up all over the deck."

"Yeah, well, there are others ways to make a worse first impression. Not many but there definitely are." The whiskered blond held out his hand, "I'm Naruto."

"Oh." The other blond took the welcome to shake his hand, "It's nice to meet you Naruto. I'm Jaune. And-well..." Jaune awkwardly motioned to the trashcan, "Don't get me wrong, I'm nervous, but that wasn't actually why I was throwing up."

"It wasn't?" Naruto raised his brow in confusion and tilted his head, "Then why were you throwing up?"

"Because I really can't stand transportation." Jaune deflated a little, "It's a problem I've had since I was a kid. When I was riding in a car. Or a plane. Or a fast roller-coaster. Or even if I think about a bad experience when I-" The color started fading from his face and he started wavering, "O-oh no, not again!"

Jaune covered his mouth and turned around before he started barfing into the trashcan again. Naruto just stood there in surprise and stared at his new acquaintance as he hurled into the can. The whiskered blond probably wasn't expecting someone like this to be the first person he interacted with in Beacon but hey...some things were just unpredictable.

"***BLARGH***"

Naruto shook his head, "Geez man, how much did you eat?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Woahhhhhhhhhhh~!"

Aside from the two blond men outside the ship, most of the other students arriving were using this chance to take in the sight of Beacon and prepare themselves for their future.

This young lady though...

"He was carrying a collapsible staff! A-and she's carrying a fire blade with an electric attachment! Oh! Oh! That guy just had a stick and ball but I bet they do something cool!"

The girl that was almost drooling at the sight of weapons was younger than most of the other students arriving in Beacon. Two years younger actually. She had black hair with shades of red along the strands with one section of her hair going all the way down to her chin. She wore a black dress with a skirt and red undertones. Along with a long red cape secured to her shoulders with silver crosses and boots. Her skin was almost pale white and her eyes were a beautiful color of silver. Her name was Ruby Rose.

"Did they make those? O-or maybe they were purchased or passed down!" Ruby was almost bouncing in place at the sight of all the cool new weapons she was seeing for the first time. Her legs started kicking up the ground beneath her, "I've got to ask them where they got them!"

"Woah woah woah!" A hand grabbed the top of Ruby's cape and stopped the excited young girl from storming off so quickly.

Ruby slumped her shoulders and looked up at her big sister. Despite how different the two of them appeared, these two really were sisters. Or at least half-sisters. Her name was Yang Xiao Long

Where Ruby was short, Yang was fairly tall for a girl her age. She had long, messy blonde hair with random curls and cowlicks down the side and she had lilac eyes. She wore a brown vest with a yellow low-cut crop top and an orange scarf wrapped around her neck. She wore black shorts with a half-pleated skirt in the back along with platform boots and around each wrist was a golden bracelet. And while Ruby was still going through the arduous task of puberty, Yang had...finished filling out in certain places.

Yang placed Ruby back down on her feet and shook her head, "Okay sis, you really need to control that little switch in your head that goes all psycho weapon lover. Do the breathing thing dad taught you to calm down."

"But Yang-"

"Breathe."

Ruby just sighed before she forced herself to take deep breathes in and long breathes out. After a moment, Ruby's momentary exuberance faded and she looked up at her sister.

Yang asked, "Feeling better?"

"I feel lightheaded."

"That's code for better." Yang put her hands on her hips before admonishing her little sister, "Listen, I know you're excited, but not everybody is going to jump at the idea of explaining and examining weapons with a girl that just runs up to them out of nowhere."

"Yeah, that always the problem, isn't it?" Ruby sighed dejectedly, "All these cool new weapons I'm seeing for the first time and I have to talk to strangers and new people to see them."

Yang shook her head, "See, it's talk like that that makes people think you're anti-social."

"I'm not anti-social!" Ruby argued before looking off to the side, "I just...y'know...avoid situations where I have to talk with new people." Ruby looked up to see Yang's condescending smile aimed at her and glared in return, "Shut up. Besides, I'm happy with just me, _Crescent Rose_, _Ember Celica_, and you; my great, loyal, and trustworthy big sister."

"Yeah~..." Yang wrapped one arm around her precious little sister before scratching her cheek, "About that~..."

"What?"

"My friends from my school are here and we're gonna go look around! Might be gone a while! Probably won't be able to walk around with you!" Yang spun Ruby around before running off to join her friends, "Be safe okay I love you bye!"

"Wait! Yang! What happened?! Where are we?! Where's left and right?! Is this real life?!" Ruby stopped spinning for a moment and held her head to get her balance before she saw Yang run off with a bunch of old friends. Ruby felt betrayed.

She scrunched up her nose and waved her arms, "Fine! You-you go and hang out with your real friends! You know what I'm gonna do now?! I'm going to go cry! You did this Yang! I hope you're happy with yourself! You made your little sister cry! That's gonna stick on your conscience forever!" Ruby started fake wailing and kept periodically looking over her shoulder while running away, "Wahhhh! Wahhhh! Wa-"

***SLAM***

Ruby ran into multiple objects, slamming them off their platform and falling forward until she landed face-first in the ground. She lifted herself up and rubbed her nose with little tears in her eyes, "Ow~. What the-"

Ruby looked around at all the white luggage that surrounded her. There were stray pieces of clothing, towels, and several containers with different colored substances in them. Ruby eyes landed on a red one lying by her hand and looked it over before popping its cap, "What's this?"

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!"

At the sound of the loud voice being aimed at her, Ruby jumped to her feet in an instant and went rigid like a statue.

The girl standing in front of her had her hands on her hips and a scowl aimed at the young red girl. She stood at about the same height as Ruby, with an off center ponytail containing her long white hair and icy blue eyes that nearly pierced Ruby's soul. She wore a bolero jacket with a red inside collar that led down to blue undertones in her sleeves. Like Ruby, she also wore a skirt and boots to give herself some extra height.

The white-haired girl reprimanded the cowering Ruby, "Is this your first action at arriving in a prestigious school like Beacon?! Is this a hobby?! Knocking people's luggage and personal belongings on the floor and then rummaging through them?! Don't you have any decency?!" The snooty girl took a moment from her yelling to see the the black and red-haired girl was holding a Dust vile in her hands. She snatched it back with a sharp edge in her voice, "Were you trying to take these from me?! If you want Dust you should try buying some for yourself! It's not that hard to find! There's a shop selling this stuff on every block!"

Ruby was getting confused and disoriented, "I was-um-we-I-Yang was-um...huh?"

"Dust! My Dust! Were you trying to take it?!" She started pointing to the vile in her hand and some of its contents started spreading in the air, "This is Dust with a fire affinity! Do you know what that means?! It means that if it is not contained and moved properly, it can be extremely volatile and dangerous! I don't know how things work in whatever little town you may have been raised in, but to me, that's a very stupid move to pull!"

Ruby's face started to twitch, "I-I-"

"What? Do you having something to say for yourself? If you do, spit it out now!"

Ruby's nose was reacting to all the red Dust in the air around her. And with a mighty blow-

"ACHOO!"

***BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM***

Everyone within several hundred feet looked in the same direction as they saw an explosion and the resulting mushroom cloud raise from the ground.

Ruby rubbed her nose after the loud and explosive sneeze she just had. She opened her eyes again and saw the damage she caused, covering her mouth in horror, "Oh no."

The white girl that was just yelling at Ruby was now completely covered in black ash and soot. The only thing that was still clean on her were the surprised little blues eyes that blinked open. She wiped the ash off her face to reveal a red face brimming with fury, "You...you..."

"You insufferable little child! You could have killed us both! Do you have any self control or brain power to think of your actions before hand!"

Ruby was shaking a little, "O-oh yeah, well-um...you're not nice and you use a lot of words."

"I don't have to be nice to some random girl combing through my belongings and nearly blowing us up!"

"Hey, you were the one waving that Dust around all willy-nilly." Ruby defended herself after she was sick of being put on the spot by the white-haired girl, "Who are you anyway?"

"I think she's Weiss Schnee."

Before either of them could say anything else, a third voice interjected on their argument.

They both looked over to see a tall girl with wavy black hair going down her back with a bow on top and amber eyes. She wore black boots and stockings that were purple around her feet before turning black when they ended at her thighs. Around her chest was a white undershirt and a black buttoned vest with a short scarf around her neck. In one hand was a book with a finger placed where she left off and in the other was one of Weiss' Dust viles.

The black-haired girl looked down at the Dust in her hand, "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest Dust mining companies, Dust selling companies, and energy propellant companies in the whole world."

Weiss felt a sense of smug pride grow while she crossed her arms and looked at Ruby slowly shrink down, "That's right."

"Also very well known for questionable business partners, shady handlings, controversial labor forces, and increasing levels of capital robbery."

"That's righ-Hey!" Weiss threw her arms to her side and yelled in protest, "That is just false persecution and slander!"

"I don't mean any offense by that." The black-haired girl held out the Dust vile, "I'm just telling you what I've heard."

Weiss was nearly fuming and wanted to argue furiously with both this new girl and Ruby. But after swallowing the lump in her throat, Weiss just glared at the taller black-haired girl before taking the Dust with a swipe of her hand and walking away.

Weiss then turned around and walked back towards them, just to place her belongings back on her cart and wheel it away.

"Um-Weiss-I'm sorry we met so...explosively!" Ruby shouted towards the retreating girl, "I promise to make it up to, and maybe then you and I can talk...and be friends...and act like I didn't just blow her up." Ruby kept getting quieter until it was just a whisper and she palmed her face, "I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot and I want to disappear."

Ruby decided that she could at least show gratitude to her eleventh hour savior, "Hey, I know that was a weird situation but thanks for-she's already gone."

Ruby watched the cool bow wearing girl walk away and down the path. Ruby deflated even more and just hung her head while a black cloud rained down on her, "Great job Ruby, really. Ten minutes since arriving at Beacon and you've made a rich heiress mad and scared off a super cool girl that had your back. Uhhhhhhhhh..."

Ruby stood their wallowing in her misery...

"Wow, you were right Jaune. Someone was in the middle of that explosion."

"Told you."

Ruby lifted her head and looked behind her at the new voices. She saw two taller blond boys standing besides each other, one was wearing a bandana and looking around at the soot surrounding them while the other was facing Ruby.

The boy in armor asked, "Are you okay?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Pyrrha Nikos was looking around the campus of Beacon and just taking a moment to enjoy the sights. She was probably lost and going in the wrong direction of wherever she was supposed to be heading but she didn't mind in the least.

She was a pretty girl with her long red hair tied in a pony-tail and strong emerald eyes. She wore a strapless tan v-shirt under a leather top split down the middle. Along with her skirt, boots, and red drapery tied around her waist were pieces of armor on her legs and arms.

Pyrrha swung her arms around a little and enjoyed the fresh air the little grove had to offer before she looked around, "I should probably try and make my way to the main presentation hall. And I should try and find Weiss as well. She's probably looking for me and it'd be nice to see a familiar face here."

While Pyrrha was taking a moment to recognize her surroundings, she heard a noise followed by a dull thud.

***Schwip***

Pyrrha almost felt her ears perk up at the sound of metal stabbing into wood. The pattern continued to repeat itself and Pyrrha started following it to try and figure out what was going on.

When Pyrrha came around a corner, there was a girl standing in front of several trees with brown hair done up in two buns at the back of her head. She wore a white blouse with sleeves so baggy they nearly contained both her hands with the symbol of a pinwheel and a circle intersecting it on the back. She wore red puffy pants and blue sandals to complete her wardrobe.

The girl's focus was completely set on the targets in front of her and she raised her hand again, the sleeve dropping to her elbow and revealing a throwing knife held upside-down between her fingers. She narrowed her eyes, exhaled slowly, and threw the knife with a flick of her wrist. The knife imbedded itself directly in the center of the tree, alongside dozens of similar knives with only millimeters of space between each other.

Pyrrha looked at the action in amazement as the girl took out a second knife to throw. Pyrrha took a step forward and spoke up, "H-hello."

The twin-bun girl looked over to see Pyrrha walking towards her and smiled, "Oh, hello." Without even looking she threw the knife again and struck close to the other knives she had already thrown, "I didn't know I was being watched."

Pyrrha gave a small wave, "Yes. I didn't mean to intrude or break your concentration. It's just I was interested in what was happening over here."

"Oh don't worry..." She threw another knife and hit her target, "It's gonna take a lot more than that to break my concentration."

"I noticed." Pyrrha looked between the girl and the tree and felt her intrigue start to grow, "Can I ask why you're practicing now? Unless you have a grudge with the tree."

"Heh, no, me and this tree don't have any hard feelings towards each other." The knife throwing expert pulled another knife from her sleeve and looked at it for a moment before getting back in her stance, "It's just that I've already checked out my luggage and the orientation isn't happening for awhile so I decided to get some practice in while I could."

Pyrrha looked over at the tree riddle with knives and tilted her head, "Are you sure you need to practice? It looks like you've got it down to a fine art."

"Yeah, well practice makes perfect. And practice after that makes permanent." She took a moment to fiddle with one of her knives with a thoughtful gaze before looking up at the red-head, "Plus I need all the practice I can get to be good with all my weapons."

Pyrrha blinked in surprise, "Wow, did you make multiple weapons to use in the field?"

"Actually..." She looked at Pyrrha and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't have a personalized weapon."

"What?"

"Yeah. As it turns out, I'm not all that great with the whole creation of weapons." The girl started flipping the knife in her hand, "My mom and dad are both hunters that opened a weapons shop to help kids going into training school create their weapons. So of course I took the first chance I could to make a weapon. But, as it turns out, I didn't have the natural hand to make one. I put too much gunpowder in the barrel. I accidentally made the metal too weak to stand up against strikes. I can't even go into how many times I blew up messing with an incendiary change."

She caught the knife firmly before immediately throwing it into the tree and smiling at the red-head, "So I chose a different route. If I couldn't make a weapon then I would master every weapon. Put something in my hand and I can find a way to kick anybody's butt with it. Not to brag or anything."

"Hmm..." Pyrrha hummed in agreement before smiling towards the girl, "I think that is very admirable. Not many people would have the courage to keep trying if they were faced with such a hurdle. That shows strong resolve and character not many would present."

"Thanks." The two girls smiled at each other before the bun-haired girl looked back towards the tree, "I'm Tenten Tamura by the way."

Pyrrha smiled, "I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"WHAT?!"

Tenten looked towards Pyrrha at the last moment after throwing the knife and missed her mark-

Some random guy screamed, "AH! MY ARM! OH GOD WHY!"

Tenten ran up to Pyrrha with stars in her eyes, "Are you really 'that' Pyrrha Nikos?! Oh man, you really are! I don't know why I didn't recognize you sooner!" Tenten grabbed Pyrrha's hands and started shaking them, "Ms. Nikos, I'm a huge fan! I remember watching your campaign in your second Mistral Regional Tournament! Me and my folks and everyone in my town were cheering for you to win! You were just amazing!"

Tenten's grip on Pyrrha's hands was so strong the powerful gladiator almost felt like her arms were going to fall off. She nervously laughed, "T-thank you for your support. But you don't have to call me Ms. Nikos. I'd be honored if you just called me Pyrrha."

"Really?" Tenten was gleaming with joy at being able to meet one of the strongest and coolest girls of their generation. She let go of Pyrrha's hands and coughed into her hand before trying to regain some of her calm, "Well then, Pyrrha, if there's anything you need from me, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I'm glad you said that." Pyrrha stood besides Tenten and took out her pamphlet, "It says that we're supposed to all meet in the main presentation hall, but I'm kind of lost. Could you-"

"Oh, don't worry." Tenten pointed ahead, "I remember the way. I'll show you. Just let me grab my stuff." Pyrrha watched as Tenten stepped over to the tree and started pulling the dozens of knives out of the bark.

Something finally clicked in Pyrrha's head, "Where...where do you keep all of those?"

Tenten looked back and smirked, "Trade secret."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Hey Cardin, I found it! This is where all the luggage is!"

"Finally!" An extremely tall boy with combed back orange hair and wearing armor sighed exhaustively. He marched in, "It's the first day of arrivals! You'd think they could at least put up signs or directions for us!"

Sasuke walked past the much taller and less excited man after he checked both his and Naruto's luggage. Now all that was left was to be there for orientation, dinner, and then bed.

It would probably be a good idea to go find Naruto and make sure he wasn't in any trouble. On the other hand...it was much funnier to watch him squirm his way out of a situation.

Sasuke rounded a corner and passed by a girl with black hair and a bow. They walked several feet away from each other before they noticed something running down their spines.

The bow-wearing girl almost went rigid and slowly turned her head to look over at the boy standing still just a bit away from her.

Sasuke pulled himself out of the sudden stillness and continued making his way back to the center of the campus.

She looked back and watched the raven-haired boy walk out of sight. What...was that feeling? It felt...cold. Eerie. Threatening. But familiar. Like...

It was an instinct...to stay away from that man.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Hey Ren, how do you think they move and sort all our luggage? I heard that stuff like that is moved by dwarves and gnomes. Do you think Beacon hired dwarves and gnomes to sort through all the new arrivals' luggage? Or maybe they stay here full time and help with the paperwork. Could you imagine little dwarves and gnomes dressed in business suits? Hehe, they'd look so funny. Oh, I hope they don't go through our stuff. I hope they don't go through our underwear. Do you think we could be dealing with underwear dwarves Ren? Or worse, underwear gnomes?"

"Nora, I really doubt the staff hired dwarves and gnomes in suits to search through our underwear and luggage."

"You're right." The ginger-haired girl with the mismatched clothes stopped in place for a moment before a bigger smile took its place, "It must be robots!"

The boy in the green long-sleeved tailcoat just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He only had himself to blame for thinking he could rationalize with his childhood friend.

Nora had basically been jumping off the walls the entire trip up to Beacon. To be fair she was usually always jumping off the walls but this time she was also very excited about seeing their new school.

Ren decided to try and warn his best friend about making too much trouble, "Listen Nora, this is still a new place and we don't know anyone yet, so it might be better for us to stick together for awhile. At least until after orientation. Then we..."

She was never this quiet for this long.

Ren turned around and saw that his friend was nowhere in sight. He grew concerned, "Nora?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU CRAZY GIRL?!"

Nevermind. Found her.

Nora was looking up at the taller boy with the wild hair, "I thought dogs like to be pet. Don't you want pets?"

"I'M NOT A DOG!" The boy arguing in protest was a tall young man with unruly brown hair spiking up in every direction and very pronounced canine teeth, almost like fangs. His nails were very sharp and down his cheeks were red markings that almost looked like fangs as well.

Nora stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "Then why do you look like a dog? And smell like one too?"

"I just look like this all right! And the dog smell is my dogs back home!" He pulled on his faded green jacket and pointed at it, "They were rolling in my stuff before I went! It's not me!"

"If you like dogs so much then why are you angry?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE BEING PETTED!"

"Nora!"

"Hey Ren!" Nora waved to her friend before pointing to the fuming stranger, "I met someone new! He likes dogs but doesn't like being pet! But I think I saw him thumping his leg for a moment when I was scratching his hair."

The boy reached behind him and pulled out a handle that started to mechanically fold out into a red and black tonfa. He snarled his teeth-

"Woah! Woah! Hold on a second!" Ren got between the boy and his adventurous friend and tried to mediate the situation, "Listen, um..."

"Kiba."

"Kiba. My name is Ren. And my friend here is Nora." Ren spoke in a calm manner, "I'm sorry about any offense or misunderstandings that she might have cause you. She's a bit peculiar...and can't really control her enthusiasm. I swear she didn't mean to bring attention to your Faunus tendencies or insult you in any way."

"I'm not a Faunus. I'm just..." Kiba motioned to his whole outer look and shrugged, "Kinda wild lookin' I guess."

"Oh." Ren thought for a moment before shaking his head and focusing again, "Even so, it was rude and inappropriate for her to...pet you. Nora, why don't you apologize to Kiba and-"

"She's gone."

"What?"

"She left awhile ago."

Ren looked behind him to see that the joyful orange-haired girl was gone. They heard a cheerful laugh and looked up to see Nora balancing on the side of the fountain and kicking the water.

Kiba scratched his chin and patted Ren's shoulder, "Hey man, I'm not trying to be mean or disrespectful, but you might wanna think about putting her on a leash."

Ren rubbed his face and shook his head, "No. Leashes wouldn't work on Nora. The adults tried to keep her tied up like that when she was a kid and she dragged them down the street." Ren looked down at his feet, "She bit through the cone as well."

Kiba looked at the girl dancing in the fountain before giving Ren a sympathetic look, "That's a helluva girlfriend to live with."

"It's not like that."

"Pfft, yeah right."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"It was so scary. She was loud. And she kept using big words. A-and I don't think she took a second to breathe during the whole thing." Ruby sulked while taking a quick sip from her Udder Satisfaction drink before looking at the two boys sitting with her on the bench, "I'm not overreacting, right?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so." Jaune swished his You're F-ed protein drink around before looking at Ruby with wry smile, "Then again you did blow her up. So...there's that."

Ruby just hung heard head and lightly sobbed, "Oh geez..."

"Don't worry." Jaune and Ruby looked over at Naruto as he popped open a second can of People Like Grapes Soda and gave them a reassuring smile, "Some girls may act tough and callous but on the inside they just want a friend they can trust. Give it some time and I'm sure you and her will come around."

Ruby brightened up at the idea before looking at Naruto in hope, "You think so?"

Naruto took a quick swig from his drink before looking at the younger girl, "I have no idea. I don't know any girls."

"Uhhhhhh..." Ruby groaned and hung her head forward until she fell off the bench and laid face-down on the ground.

Jaune looked over at Naruto dryly, "Great job man."

"Sorry. But just give it some time. Problems need to be fixed at their own pace."

Ruby weakly pulled herself back up in her seat and gave a solemn nod, "Yeah, okay." She then looked at the two boys sitting besides her and decided to make conversation, "So...Jaune, Naruto...are you guys brothers?"

The two blond boys looked between each other before shaking their heads, "No."

"Oh." Ruby was actually surprised the guys with identical hair and eyes weren't related, "Sorry. It's just you kinda look alike."

"Well as far as I know we aren't related." Jaune continued, "Actually I only met Naruto a little while ago. After we got off the ship."

Naruto sat up a little, "Well I just thought some poor guy literally throwing up his organs right after landing could've used a little help."

Ruby perked up a little and looked at Jaune while giggling, "That was you!"

Jaune tried to defend himself, "I-I was a little woozy after getting off the ship! And I don't think I was 'literally' throwing up my organs!"

"Jaune. I was there. I stood next to you. Believe me, you were. In fact..." Naruto held up his can of grape soda, "Take this."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"To help with your breath."

Jaune's eyes widened and he breathed into his hand to catch a whiff of his breath. He sighed and took Naruto's drink before gulping it all down to give his breath a better scent.

While Jaune chugged the drink, Naruto looked towards the younger girl, "Hey Ruby, try not to take any offense to this, but aren't you a little too young to be attending Beacon?"

Ruby laughed and nodded her head, "Yep. I'm 15 years old."

The older boys looked at her in amazement with Jaune being the first to comment, "Woah! You got accepted into Beacon 2 years early! That's-that's amazing!"

"Yeah..." Ruby felt sheepish and looked down at her boots, "I guess you could say that."

Naruto noticed the hesitation when she said that, "But...you don't think it's all that great?"

"I think I'm lucky to be accepted into the best school ever. I just didn't want it to happen when I'm so different from everyone else." Ruby started pouring her heart out, "I mean people are gonna see a girl younger than them in the school they worked so hard to get into and they'll think; 'Oh, she thinks she's so special!' Or 'Oh, she's thinks she's so much better than us!' Or even 'Oh, it's that weird girl that got special treatment!'" Ruby sulked, "Do you know how horrible it is to be in a place you haven't earned your place in?"

Naruto looked forward, "I've got some idea."

Jaune looked down at his drink, "It's not that hard to think about."

Ruby then looked off with a pout, "And even though I feel all confused and freaked out, my darling big sister just left me alone to be with her friends."

"You think that's bad?" Naruto glared forward, "The only real friend I've got jumped at the chance to ditch me so he can 'check the luggage.' And I know he should've been done by now."

"At least you guys have people to ditch you." Jaune hung his head, "I'm all alone in a brand new school...and I threw up everywhere."

...

Naruto realized something, "Our first day here sucks."

"Yep."

"No argument there."

The three unfortunate friends all hung their heads as a very large rain cloud poured down on them.

Ruby tried to find a silver lining, "Well, at least I've still got _Crescent Rose _with me. That helps calm my nerves a little."

The boys looked up, "What's a _Crescent Rose_?"

"Only the coolest, most awesome weapon in the whole wide world!" Ruby handed Jaune her drink, causing the blond klutz to fumble and nearly drop all three drinks before Naruto took two of them to save the mess. Ruby stood in front of them and took something off her back, "Tada!"

From behind her back, the small girl pulled out a massive red and black scythe the popped into place with a mechanical hiss until its massive blade imbedded itself in the ground.

"Woah!"

"This is _Crescent Rose_! My personal High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe!" She grabbed the bolt and popped a round out of the chamber before smirking, "Watch yourselves guys. She's a biter."

"That thing's like twice your size!" Naruto remarked, stars in his eyes at the absolutely badass weapon the younger girl possessed. Ahhhhhhh...he wanted to hold it so bad~.

"Yeah. The recoil's so strong I actually use it to bounce around during training."

"That's awesome!" Jaune looked at the girl and her weapon in disbelief before laughing, "I think I know why you were accepted so early now."

"Yeah~, maybe." Ruby stroked her lovable weapon before asking, "What about you guys? What do you have?"

"My weapon's with my luggage." Naruto said with a disappointed tone at not being able to show off his weapon as well, "I didn't want to raise any suspicion by carrying it on me so I packed it with my other stuff. Kinda wishing I didn't do that."

"Well that sucks."

"Yeah." Naruto opened his hands to reveal two little black knives with rounded grips, "All I've got with me are these."

Ruby's and Jaune's eyes widened in shock at how he nearly pulled those out of thin air. Jaune asked, "Where did those come from?!"

Naruto nonchalantly lifted up his foot to reveal the heel of his boots were hollow.

Ruby looked at Naruto in shock, "You keep two concealed knives in your boots? Like, all the time?"

Naruto just nodded.

Ruby had stars in her eye, "Awwwwww~, that's so cool!"

"Yeah, I know." Naruto said with a smug tone in his voice while he twirled the knives in his hands for extra effect.

"What are their names?"

"Their what now?"

"Their names?" Ruby asked, "They have names right?"

"No. They're just some extra knives I've got hidden. They don't need-"

"Of course they need names!" Ruby said passionately while pointing at Naruto, "Our weapons are an extension of ourselves. Even knives like those are still a part of you! They deserve the same kinda love as your main weapon! It's like picking a favorite child! You just don't!"

Naruto was silent after being yelled at by the short girl before he looked at the knives in his hands. He thought for a moment...

Right: "This one's _Stabby_."

Left: "This one's _Cutty_."

Ruby looked at him with a flat stare, "Really?"

He smirked before looking towards the last member of their little gang, "What about you Jaune?"

"Well...nothing special like hidden knives or...knifles." Jaune said in a defeated tone before he reached to his scabbard and pulled out an old war blade. He held it at arm length to show it better, "Mine's just a sword. I kinda wish it could do something cool but nope. Just kinda swish, swish, stab."

Ruby tried to cheer him up, "At least it's doing what swords do best."

"Yeah. And there's this too." Jaune pulled out the scabbard on his side before it folded open and became a shield with a double crescent moon symbol on the front, "Yep. My _Crocea Mors_. The hand-me-down of the Arc family for generations."

Naruto shrugged, "Well, that's still pretty cool."

"You think?"

"Yeah." Ruby added with a nod of her head, "That things got history. Personality. All that cool jazz." Ruby chuckled awkwardly for a moment before coughing and smiling, "Plus, it looks good with the whole 'knights of old' look. I think its cool."

Jaune perked up at the compliment, "Aw, thanks."

"Well, some people do need protection." They looked over to see Naruto wipe under his nose and grin, "But I never needed protection with a shield before."

Ruby looked at him jokingly, "Oh really? What? You don't get hurt?"

"Oh no. I get hurt." Naruto looked off, "Actually, I get hurt a lot. Almost a very concerning amount..." He smiled, "But I don't usually stay hurt for long."

"What does that mean?"

"Watch." Naruto placed _Stabby _back in his right shoe and held _Cutty _over his palm. He slowly traced the knife's edge over his skin until blood started to seep out.

Ruby and Jaune got squeamish, "Eep(x2)!"

Ruby screamed, "Naruto, what are you doing?!"

"Give me a sec."

"Um, Naruto, I don't do good with blood." Jaune started to hyperventilate and get woozy, "The sight of blood! The-the smell of blood! Just thinking of blood kinda makes me-oh-oh no-"

"Hold your lunch Jaune, you're gonna want to see this." Naruto held his hand out to show his new friends the fresh cut along his hand. And just as they were growing concerned with whether they made friends with a psychopath, the cut started to quickly seal itself up and heal.

While Jaune and Ruby were nearly slack-jawed at the sight, Naruto waved his hand and smiled, "I have a little thing called Regeneration."

Ruby swooned, "Woah~. You can make doubles of yourself?"

"Yeah-wait, what? No. That's not what regeneration does."

"Oh." Ruby tilted her head, "What am I thinking about then?"

Jaune answered, "Duplication maybe?"

"What's regeneration then?"

"It means he can heal from cuts and stuff. Like a lizard."

"Oh..." Ruby was even more impressed, "That's so much cooler."

"Yeah." Naruto tossed his knife in his hand and grinned, "This little condition of mine has saved my bacon more times than I can count."

"What if you lose an arm?" Jaune asked enthusiastically while thinking about the useful power his blond friend had, "Like if it got cut off or something could you grow a new one?"

Ruby asked next, "Oh! Oh! Does a new you grow from the arm?"

"What about a leg?"

"Or your head?"

"Um..." Naruto placed his last knife away before thinking, "I don't know because I've never been in situations like that. And I really don't want to."

"Well, yeah, I guess."

"Makes sense."

"You probably avoid situations like that."

"I probably don't want to know what it's like if you...lose a head."

After a moment, the three weirdos looked between each other and just chuckled at the direction their conversation had made.

Ruby then blinked and looked around, "Hey, aren't we supposed to be going to the orientation right now?"

Naruto stopped laughing with a look of realization over his face, "Oh, I knew there was something I forgot."

"Where is it?"

"I don't know!"

"How could you not know?"

"Why don't either of you know?! It was in those pamphlets they were handing out!"

"Yang took ours!"

"Sasuke took ours!"

"I didn't even grab one! I was too worried about the flight!"

"So none of us know where to go?!"

"No(x2)!"

"Oh my god, this is the worst first day ever!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

In the main structure of the Beacon Academy building was a massive presentation hall. This was used for presentations, a small arena in the other room for training and sparring, and at the moment was being prepared for the orientation of new students.

Naruto, Ruby, and Jaune barged into the large building with just moments to spare. They held themselves up on their knees and were panting after sprinting in from their long distance.

"S-see, I told ya it was the big center building!" Naruto pushed himself up and wiped his face, "It's always the big building that draws the most attention where the best stuff happens!"

"Right..."

"Yeah, we'll keep that in mind." They all looked around at the crowded space they found themselves in as the students were all conversing with each other.

Jaune almost felt minuscule, "W-wow, this is a lot of people."

Ruby slumped in disappointment, "How am I supposed to find Yang now?"

"Ruby!"

They all looked over to see the taller blonde girl wave her sister over, "C'mon! I saved you a spot!"

Naruto shrugged, "Well, that was convenient."

"Ohhhhh..." Ruby started rolling her shoulders in place to loosen up, "She's gonna be so sorry when I'm done with her." Ruby started marching over before looking back at her new friends and waving goodbye, "I'll see you guys later."

Jaune and Naruto waved the girl goodbye before the armor clad boy hung his head, "Well there goes the nice, quirky person in our little group of weirdo misfits."

Naruto felt insulted, "What? I'm not nice and quirky enough?"

Jaune shook his head, "That's just weird."

"Yeah I know." He patted his new friend's back and walked ahead, "C'mon, this thing's gonna start any moment."

The room was full of students talking amongst themselves to near deafening proportions until the screens over the stage turned on. From behind the stage door, Ozpin and his top teacher, Glynda Goodwitch, walked out on stage. Ozpin took a moment to prepare himself and tapped on the microphone until the sounds resonated through the speakers.

After he was done, he stood there for a moment and just looked out at all the students looking up at him.

("You all know why you are here. You have worked or proven yourselves ready to take the next step in your lives. Through adversity. Through pain. And now that you are all here, you must be thinking that you're futures have been set in stone. Well I'm here to tell you...that you are wrong. Coming to this school does not mean that you have reached the end of your journey. In fact, this is nothing more than a stepping stone for what you must decide. Your choices will be harder. Your days will be long. Some of you may not even be able to cope with what's ahead. All we can do for you is try to prepare you for what may happen. Whatever your future holds, this is for certain...")

("Your halcyon days are over from this point on.")

Ozpin stepped away from the microphone and Glynda stepped up, ("Tomorrow will be your initiation. Tonight, you will all gather together in the ballroom to sleep. Be prepared for anything.")

Jaune gulped and leaned over to Naruto, "That seemed kinda...bleak for an initiation speech, right?"

Naruto just stared ahead at the stage as the words started to sink in.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto was lying on his sleeping bag and staring up at the ceiling, dressed in his PJ's and nightcap to cover his hair. He sighed and just kept looking at the dim lights overhead, ignoring the guys talking around him and remembering the words Ozpin had spoke. Not just on stage but in the interrogation room as well.

Looks like he wasn't just blowing air when he said all that stuff. He really meant it.

"Well, you definitely look like the teeth pulling experience has subsided." Naruto looked back to see Sasuke in a black shirt and loose gray pants standing over him. He waved to his friend lying on the sleeping bag.

Naruto smiled a little, "Oh look, it's my partner and best friend in the world, Ditchy the Asshole."

"Oh come on, don't take it so personally." Sasuke smiled while defending himself, "Look! You found your stuff right? Your clothes. _Gatling Stormer_. I did what we were asked to do."

"Yeah." Naruto turned to lay on his stomach while glaring up at his standing friend, "And then you ditched me for the rest of the day. Which is why you are Ditchy...the Asshole."

"All right well I can see you're going to be crabby for awhile so I won't even bother." The raven-haired boy looked around at all the boys sleeping on one side and all the girls sleeping on the other. He then looked down at Naruto, "Did you even try talking to someone today?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Naruto propped himself on his elbows, "I met two people today. They were nice. Cool. Funny. Way better people than you."

"Hmmm..." Sasuke shook his head, "I don't believe you."

"Oh piss off you prick."

"Hey Naruto!"

Naruto smiled when he heard Jaune's voice call out to him and sat up a little, "There's one of them right now. Sasuke, I'd like to introduce you to Jaune-oh dear god man what are you wearing?"

Jaune came walking over in his full-body pajamas and slippers while Naruto looked up at him in horror. Jaune looked himself over, "What? They're my PJ's. They are warm and comfy."

Sasuke nodded his head, "He seems nice."

Naruto looked up at Jaune in disbelief and just absentmindedly shook his head, "Jaune, that's the kinda stuff that a little two-year old wears to keep warm. Or-or maybe old people who are trying not to mess themselves. I-I-I'm drawing a blank. It's just so ridiculous."

Sasuke scoffed, "Oh please, like you're one to talk."

"What?"

"Naruto, you walk around all day in an orange vest. You are no one to judge people's clothing choices."

"Oh come on! That's stylish!"

"No. No it's not."

"But...they sold it to me telling me it was."

"Then you were lied to."

"Gale wouldn't lie to me."

"Gale's been lying to your face."

"Oh Gale, why?" Naruto hung his head sadly at the thought.

While Naruto was sulking, Jaune and Sasuke looked at each other. Jaune held out his hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Jaune Arc."

Sasuke shook his hand, "Sasuke Uchiha. And I'm sorry to hear that you had to spend the whole day taking care of my friend here."

"Oh no, it's fine. Naruto's a cool guy." Jaune defended his new friend before looking off to the side, "Until-y'know-the part where he cut across his hand with a knife."

"Oh god." Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose before he tried to scold his friend, "Naruto, I've told you to stop showing people that. It's disgusting."

"What? It's a conversation starter."

"Conversations that start off like 'Oh god! What's wrong with you, you freak?!' Something like that."

"It still starts a party."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Yang rested on her side and looked at her baby sister as she sulked into her pillow, "Okay...so let me get this straight...you knocked a girl's luggage over, she started yelling, you blew her up, another girl came and stopped the fighting, they both walked away without saying another word, and then two guys you never met before came to help you?"

Ruby hummed, "Uh huh."

Yang thought for a moment before smiling and shaking her head, "I'm sorry. Don't believe it. I mean I'm happy that you can openly talk with people you just met but I'm finding it hard to believe you blew someone up and made friends in the span of an afternoon."

Yang received a pillow thrown squarely into her face.

"No thanks to you." Ruby pouted before lying back down on her bag, "This never would've happened if you didn't ditch me."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad."

"I was crying Yang!"

"You weren't crying."

"I was gonna start crying Yang!" Ruby put a hand under her cheek to hold herself up, "I'm just glad Naruto and Jaune were there to help me."

"I still find it hard to believe."

"They're real! Honestly!" Ruby sat up and tried to defend her point, "Jaune's this nice and weird guy who was on the ship with us. He was the one throwing up on us actually-"

"You made friends with Barf Boy?"

"-and Naruto's this guy who can cut himself and-um-he makes bacon."

Yang raised an eyebrow, "He makes bacon when he cuts himself?"

"No! I-I mean he said something about bacon. I-" Ruby huffed and stood up before grabbing Yang's arm and leading her to the other side of the room, "C'mon, it's easier if I just introduce you!"

"Oh. Okay. Well if you want to go over to the boys' side so late at night I'm not one to argue."

The two sisters walked through the ocean of sleeping bags and lazy students until they were in ear shot of a certain conversation taking place...

"I'm telling you I wasn't throwing up for kicks! I just can't handle transportation!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any offense by it. I just didn't realize that was you."

"You shoulda been there Sasuke. He didn't stop for like ten minutes. It was like a machine. A stinky yet amazing machine." Their boy talk ended when Naruto spotted a familiar face walking over, "Oh hey Ruby, you just missed the fun conversation we were having."

"Hey." Ruby motioned to the blonde besides her, "Naruto, this is my big sister Yang. Yang, Naruto."

Naruto nodded up at the surprised blonde girl, "Hey. You must be the 'back-stabbing big sister' we've been hearing so much about."

Yang blinked in honest shock, "Oh wow, you're actually real. That's...unexpected. But really welcome. Yang Xiao Long, at your service."

Naruto gave a small salute, "Naruto Uzumaki, ready to serve back."

Ruby motioned besides them, "And this is Jaune Arc, the one in the funny footsie pajamas."

Yang giggled a little, "That's definitely Barf Boy."

"No-I..." Jaune hung his head and sighed before waving his hand, "Yeah, I'm Barf Boy, nice to meet you."

Ruby pointed to the black-haired boy, "And this is...someone I don't know."

"Sasuke Uchiha." He nodded to the two ladies, "I'm the one in charge of making sure this idiot doesn't cause too much trouble."

Jaune looked hurt, "What did I do?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No, not you. That idiot."

Naruto scoffed, "Like you ever stopped me from making an idiot out of myself."

"Wow Ruby, you were actually telling the truth about these guys. That's great!" She patted her baby sister on the back in pride before she groaned, "Oh god, you really blew someone up."

"I told you!"

Sasuke blinked in confusion, "Wait, someone blew up?"

"You didn't know someone blew up?"

"He wasn't there to find out. Because he's Ditchy...the Ass-"

Sasuke interrupted, "How did someone blow up?"

"It was an accident! I have allergies! When stuff like that gets up my nose-"

"You blew her up with your allergies?"

"No, with Dust!"

"You sneeze Dust?"

"No, she was just waving Dust all around and it got up my nose and-"

"Excuse me!" The little group of students all turned to see Weiss with her hair down and wearing a night gown walk over to them with a firm level in her voice, "I'm sorry if you haven't realized yet but there are people here trying to sleep so if you could...YOU!"

Ruby hid her face, "Oh no."

They all looked towards the youngest member, "What's wrong?"

"She's the girl I blew up."

"Oh~(x4)."

Weiss rubbed her face, "I should have known it was you causing such a ruckus."

Yang took a step forward towards the stubborn heiress, "Hey, look, um-"

"Weiss."

"-Weiss, I'm sorry if you had a bad first impression of my sister Ruby. But I promise she isn't as weird as you might have believed her to be."

Naruto hesitantly groaned, "Well-"

"No!" Yang sent him a threatening glare, "Nothing from you!"

"Ugh." Weiss rubbed her temples with a pained groan, "I think I'm starting to get a migraine."

"Well that's a shame gorgeous~. A pretty little Snow Angel like you shouldn't be in such a stressful situation." Jaune slid by her side and spoke with confidence nobody believed he had, "Maybe you need someone like Jaune Arc to help you through the pain~."

Weiss took a moment to look the scraggly blond boy over from head to toe.

"No."

"Okay. Worth a shot."

As they watched the footsie wearing boy walk away, Weiss turned forward again, "Look, I just want to go to bed and prepare for the initiation tomorrow. So get your little apologies out now and...where did she go?!"

Yang looked behind her to see nothing there. She looked around for her little sister before looking at Naruto and Sasuke, "Where'd she go?"

They pointed off to the side where Ruby was making her way over to the wall. Ruby sneaked her way past all the other people until she finally arrived at her destination and waved at the girl sitting against the wall, "Hello."

The bow wearing girl in a black kimono looked up from her book to see the young girl standing over her, "Oh...aren't you that girl that blew herself up?"

"I blew me and Weiss up but yeah, that's me." Ruby put her hands behind her back and felt nervous talking to the aloof girl, "I never got a chance to thank you for helping me earlier. I didn't even ask you your name. Mine's Ruby...just so you know."

She went back to reading her book, "I'm Blake."

"It's nice to meet you Blake." She noticed the bow wearing girl was still paying attention to her book, "So...what book are you reading?"

Blake's eyes looked up at Ruby before looking back at the pages, "It's a story of a man with two souls. Both fighting for dominance over each other and ownership of their shared body. And both suffering the consequences of the other being in control. 'If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also.' Books about duality like that always interested me."

"Oh, that's cool." Ruby felt completely overwhelmed by Blake's superior taste in literature and terminology. What the heck was duality? Was it edible? Ruby chuckled awkwardly, "I guess I was always more favorable of picture books and stuff. Stories about knights saving princesses and saving the day."

Blake laughed lightheartedly, "Well, most children are raised on books like that so they leave a very strong impression. But you shouldn't let stories like that set your whole ideal about the world. There are far worse monsters out there than dragons and Grimm. And some of them might be walking around us without our even knowing."

"Yeah, I know." Ruby nodded her head with a faint smile on her face, "I know that the world isn't as black and white as we're supposed to believe. But I still think that there are people that can do some good out there."

"Are you sure? There are some pretty bad people in this world that would do whatever they can for their purpose."

"Yeah, but we're still here." Ruby looked around at all the students filling the ballroom, "Everyone that's come here is doing it for different reasons. Different goals. But we're all trying to make the world a better place anyway we can. Even you and I might be able to do something to help better the world."

"You know, that's a pretty naive and childish way to look at the world." Ruby felt like she failed to make her point before Blake looked up from her book and smiled, "But that doesn't sound so bad when you think about it."

Ruby cheered up and smiled, "I guess we'll just have to see what happens, huh Blake?"

"Yeah, I guess you're-"

"There you are!" Weiss came marching over with a scowl directed towards the silver-eyed girl, "You've been bugging me all day and it stops now! And you! You were there with us too! I remember what you said!"

"Ruby!" Yang came running over next, "I tried to stop her but she was talking so fast that I got worried and confused!"

"Wait! Wait! Stop everything!" Naruto came running up behind before he breathed out in relief, "I didn't want to miss a moment of this. Okay, contiune." This earned him scowls from all girls present and a punch in the shoulder by Yang.

"You aren't helping in the least!" Weiss turned back towards Ruby and pointed at her, "You need to seriously leave me alone! This situation has only gone from bad to worse with your involvement!"

Ruby begged her, "Please let me make it up to you! I swear I can do good!"

"You said that before and all you've caused me so far is pain and nausea!"

"HOLY CRAP WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!"

"WE'RE TRYING TO GO TO BED!"

"HEY! WE ARE DISCUSSING SOMETHING HERE! SO YOU ALL NEED TO SHUT UP!"

As the entire room gotten into an upheaval and multiple objects started being thrown at each other, Blake sighed and closed her book.

Was it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet? Especially when she was getting to the good part.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**So, I got some reviews from people that said they really want me to continue this little idea. And I am nothing if not a crowd pleaser.**_

_**Just to put it in my train of thought, I thought it would be a cool idea to make Tenten unable to create her own weapon because of how she handles it in canon. She usually spams weapons out of her scrolls but when she uses one weapon in particular she seems pretty skilled. And being able to use multiple weapons seems like something someone from RWBY could do if it is handled right.**_

_**Anyway...**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	3. What's a Landing Strategy?

Hunting or Bust

Dust 3: What's a Landing Strategy?

I watched the RWBY Livestream! It's official! Yang's boob jiggle is canon!

I love what the series has been doing since I last updated. So good!

Also, I just found out that Michael is going to do the voice for Sting in the Fairy Tail FUNimation dub... I'm going to enjoy that.

Anyone else think Michael has a preference for voicing blond, open shirt wearing dudes? Because this is his second one now.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The locker door clicked and slowly started to creak open. Inside was the long red scabbard, five smaller scabbards strapped to it with two handles on both sides and hooks similar to _Stormer's_.

Naruto slowly started to grow a malicious grin and pulled his blades out of the locker. He looked them over, "You guys have been getting eager, haven't you?"

The black bandana wearing blond sat down on a bench and started tracing his finger over the scabbards, "That's right boys and girls, we're back in action today. Now I know we've heard all the stories and rumors that this initiation test is supposed to be a hard task not many people can finish. And let's be honest...a few of these guys probably aren't gonna make it. That's right, we've all got eyes on Jaune. But we shouldn't be worried. Not in the least. Because this is a chance to show everyone in Beacon just how awesome you guys are."

"Naruto-"

"It's been a while since we had to fight Grimms but we haven't forgotten how to do it."

Yang's hand waved in front of his face, "Yoohoo~, Naruto~."

"Now let's make sure we're all ready." Naruto twisted the hilt and the compartment of _Stormer's _hilt flipped open to reveal dozens of arrows he had placed inside.

Yang took a step back until she stood near Sasuke and shook her head, "Okay, you were right, he's out of it. So this happens a lot I suppose?"

"Not usually. Only when it's something big and he gets excited. I guess that means he's gonna try and take this seriously so that's a plus." Sasuke looked behind them, "I see you have to deal with something similar."

They both looked towards Ruby as she hummed a catchy tune and sharpened the massive blade of _Crescent Rose_. Needless to say, it was an odd sight to see such a cute girl happily grind a whetstone against a scythe twice her size.

Sasuke shook his head and attached _Vollmond Reflexion _to his side. He looked between the two distracted teens, "Should we just leave them until it's time for the test?"

"Don't worry." Yang cracked her fingers and smirked, "I learned a very special and effective way to bring people like this out of a trance thanks to Ruby."

Yang decided to first try and pull Naruto back to the real world. She stood behind him and waited...

***SMACK***

"OW!" Naruto yelped and held the back of his head after Yang harshly punched it with her gauntlet. She waved and gave him a cheeky smile as Naruto hissed at the pain, "Geez, I think you cracked my skull."

"Well you're the guy with the miracle band-aid powers so I'm not all that worried." Yang walked over to Ruby, "Her on the other hand-"

***SMACK***

"AHHHHHHH-WHYYYYYYYY?!" Ruby fell off the bench and started clutching her head when she felt the familiar smack resonate through her skull.

Yang placed her hands on her hips and nodded triumphantly, "Well, I think that worked."

Naruto and Sasuke cringed at the sight of the young girl rolling on the floor while grasping the back of her head. She moaned and looked up at her older sister with teary eyes, "Why~?"

"Because I know better than anyone that once you start cleaning _Crescent Rose_, you go into every nook and cranny. Then you start fiddling with the barrel, and the magazines, the slide, and everything else you find. And when you're finished, the afternoon's gone and your hungry. I just saved you missing out on the test."

Ruby sat up and continued rubbing her head, "There are better ways to do that."

"Your better isn't as effective as my way."

Ruby glared up at her big sister before looking over at the two boys watching from the side, "You guys think this is bad, right? Would you treat a sibling like this?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "No idea. Only child."

Sasuke looked off to the side, "Me and my brother didn't usually interact like that."

Ruby just glared childishly at them before hugging her weapon in its standby mode, "Well it doesn't matter what the rest of you think. _Crescent Rose_ always need my attention to make sure she's in effective condition. My baby likes to show herself off when she's around other people."

Sasuke and Yang looked at Ruby in bewilderment but Naruto nodded his head in understanding, "Yeah, I get that. Sometimes, you just wanna show your weapon off to anyone and everyone you can. Make them jealous." He turned around and brought attention to the sheathes on his back, "I'm using today as a chance to get all these little guys back into play."

Ruby cheered, "Yay! Someone else gets it!"

The other two fighters looked between the odd duo before Yang raised an eyebrow. She looked at the bandana wearing blond, "Hey, why do you have those extras?"

Naruto tilted his head, "What?"

"All those extra swords on your back, why do you carry them around?"

"Because they aren't extras." Naruto turned back around, "I use all of these guys in battle when I need to get serious."

Yang blinked in surprise, "How many is that?"

"Well, these all have two small swords in them so that's ten swords. And then there's _Stormer_ so that makes eleven."

"Yeah. So you have ten small swords as backup in case something goes wrong."

"No! I use them all when I need them!"

Yang was starting to get ticked off, "How can you use eleven swords at once? That's not practical!"

Naruto was silent for a moment before he rubbed his chin and hummed. He walked over besides Ruby and asked, "Hey Ruby, why would you have something like a massive scythe with a sniper rifle if it wasn't practical?"

Ruby played along, "Well Naruto, the same reason someone would have eleven blades to use at once." She had a spunky face and looked back at Yang, "Because it's awesome!"

"Mm-hmm! She gets it!" Naruto and Ruby did a quick high five while smiling, content with themselves at proving Yang wrong. They were already smack talking in sync.

Yang was fuming and about to burst before she took a deep breath in and out.

Sasuke decided to dissolve the tension, "Okay, now that we're done arguing about weapons, are you guys ready for today?"

Yang's demeanor changed back into her excited, eager self and she started bouncing on her feet, "Oh yeah, I'm ready for anything!" She then turned to Ruby, "Do you have everything?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Yes."

"Extra magazine for your gun?"

"Yes."

"Extra extra magazine just in case?"

"Yes."

"Your hood?"

"I'm wearing it."

"Just checking. Did you eat enough?"

"I ate plenty!" Ruby grumbled in annoyance at Yang's overprotective tendencies, "I ate my pancakes! I drank my milk! I've eaten enough!"

"Oh you could never eat enough." Naruto disagreed, "I think as long as there is space in your stomach, you need to eat something!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Yeah, we know Naruto. You're like a trash compactor when you see food."

Ruby and Yang nodded in agreement. They decided to have breakfast together as one group and the two girls were shocked to see how much the whiskered boy could stuff down his gullet.

"Oh c'mon, I'm not that bad."

Ruby looked up at him, "But you ate an entire plate full of pancakes earlier."

Yang added, "You ate an entire second plate of pancakes after that."

Sasuke scowled, "You ate my pancakes!"

Naruto looked confused, "But you said you didn't like pancakes."

"I said I didn't think I could eat a full plate of them! And I didn't! Because you ate all of them!"

"Oh sorry, I didn't know you meant it like that." Naruto then just grinned and stretched out, "Oh well, what's done is done! Let's get ready for test! What do you think it's gonna be? Tournament? Puzzle? I really hope it's not anything to do with writing."

Yang and Ruby grimaced, in full agreement that a written test would be the worst way to have a test.

Sasuke sat down on the bench, "I hear there's something about making teams with people."

Ruby groaned and looked off to the side, "Great. More fun with strangers."

Yang looked over to her unenthusiastic little sister, "Oh don't worry, it's not gonna be that bad. Just do the same thing you did yesterday to talk with Naruto and Jaune."

"You mean blow up myself and the heiress of a world renowned company?"

Yang was silent for a moment. She looked off to the side, "Okay, maybe not the exact same way."

Naruto chuckled at the sisters' banter before he looked around and noticed one of their new friends was nowhere in sight. He looked a little harder, "Speaking of Jaune, where is he?"

"He said he was gonna look for his locker with all his stuff in it. But that was like half an hour ago."

"Did he get lost or something?"

"He said he didn't remember putting his stuff in a locker with a really high number so he went looking around."

Naruto blinked before he chuckled nervously. Okay, now he really was worried that Jaune was not gonna have it easy during this test.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss typed the password for her locker and pulled the metal door open. She pulled her holster out before carefully taking out _Myrtenaster_ and placing it at her left side. She locked the rapier into place before humming with a small smile and nod. She shut the door and looked to the girl locking her armor into place, "So, Pyrrha, how are you feeling about the exam?"

The red-headed girl strapped on her bronze pieces while sitting on the bench. She clicked them together before looking up at the girl with the small scar near her eye, "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel anxious about taking the exam. But at the same time I'm very eager to see what happens."

"Oh, just what I'd expect from the top ranking student of Sanctum. You're excitement is almost contagious." Weiss sucked up and returned Pyrrha's smile with one of her own. Okay, time to lay the seeds, "Well Pyrrha, what do you think about the idea of making teams during the exam?"

"I think it's an amazing idea." Pyrrha said with a smile as she opened up her locker and pulled _Miló_ and _Akoú__o_ out to secure on her back. She shut the door, "I really want to see what everyone else in the academy can do in the battlefield."

"Oh, I'm sure they're all just amazing. But I doubt many of them could stand up against you." Weiss said with an innocent tone as she fluttered her eyelashes. She feigned realization, "Wouldn't it be great if we were on a team together?"

Pyrrha laughed and nodded kindly, "Yes, it would be something. But I doubt we will be able to control the situation we find ourselves in so easily. We might just have to let fate decide for us who we work with."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. But it would be fantastic if we did work together."

Pyrrha looked to the heiress with an honest smile, "Perhaps you will get to work alongside one of the friends you made last night."

"Yeah, maybe I-" Weiss' eyes widened and she looked to Pyrrha in shock, "What?! What friends are you thinking of?!"

"The ones you were talking with last night in the ballroom. When you were with all those boys and girls."

Weiss waved her arms, "Oh no no no no no no no. Those people were not my friends! They were just obnoxious, annoying strangers I had the misfortune of meeting earlier that day! No, in fact, I barely even met two of them, the rest were just people along for the ride!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that." Pyrrha patted Wiess' shoulder, "I'm sure today will play out better for you than yesterday did."

"Yes, I'm planning on it." Weiss agreed before she turned to the side and grinned menacingly, rubbing her hands together in success at beginning her master plan. She had the unbelievable luck of sitting on the same ship over to Beacon with the most renowned young fighter of their generation! Weiss had talked to and befriended the powerful amazon on the flight over and had gotten in her good graces.

And now that they were friends, she could use this opportunity to rise in school as the best team in history!

Weiss Schnee, top graded student and the heir to the great Schnee Dust Company. And Pyrrha Nikos, best student and rising star of Remnant. Together, nothing and no one could stand in their way!

"Pyrrha!"

Weiss was immediately pulled out of her dark thoughts when she heard a new, eager voice come into play. She turned around just in time to see a new girl with brown hair done up in buns and wearing red pants and a long-sleeved blouse. She ran up to the red-head, "How are you feeling today?"

Pyrrha looked towards the other girl, "Ready for just about anything Tenten. How about you?"

Tenten smirked and grabbed her bicep, "Like I could take on a whole army of Grimm!"

"That's great to hear." Pyrrha realized that her two new friends were not yet acquainted with each other and took a moment to introduce them. She turned to the shorter white-haired girl, "Weiss, this is the girl I met yesterday after we got off the ship. She showed me the way to the main presentation hall when I got lost. Her name is Tenten Tamura."

Tenten waved, "Hi. Nice to meet you."

Weiss looked at the newcomer and narrowed her eyes. Strangers were bad enough. Strangers getting chummy with your ticket to success were even worse. She deadpanned, "Weiss Schnee."

Tenten's eyes brightened, "As in the Schnee Company 'Schnee'? Oh wow, I didn't know we had such famous people coming to school this year." Tenten started to grin, "This is so wonderful!"

Weiss blinked in surprise and flipped her hair with a smirk at the recognition she was receiving. She was glad to know that there were still some people that knew her and didn't take potshots at her family business right off the bat. She smiled, "Well, I'm glad to see some people still have the decency to compliment a person when they meet. But-Tenten right?"

The bun-haired girl nodded.

"Tenten, do you know who this girl is?" She referred to the taller warrior besides them with a proud tone, "She's-"

"Oh, I know! Pyrrha Nikos!" Tenten interrupted while trying to control her giddy joy at being next to one of her heroes, "'The Strongest of The Next Generation', 4 time consecutive winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament, she set all time records and achievements no one in the last few years has been able to make! She's-"

Tenten realized she had caused Weiss to lean back in surprise and even shocked Pyrrha with her quick talking. The hidden weapon users coughed into her hand and fixed her clothes before standing up to look dignified. She looked to the red-head woman, "Um...sorry about that Pyrrha. Old habits."

Pyrrha laughed awkwardly before waving off the other girl's concern, "It's all right. At least you're trying."

Weiss had a small scowl on her face while she looked between the taller girls in front of her. She closed her eyes and calmed her thoughts. Okay. This was fine. No problems. It was all still salvageable. This new girl was just a fan of Pyrrha. Anyone would be. As long as nothing else got in the way, her plan was still in motion.

"Hey there Snow Angel, I thought I saw something beautiful in the corner of my eye."

"IYAAA!" Weiss squealed before jumping into Pyrrha's arms like a scared child. She looked back to see the same scraggly looking blond boy with armor from yesterday waving at her. Weiss groaned while Pyrrha lowered her to the ground, "Ugh, it's you again. I thought you gave up."

"Sorry, not in my style. I'm just too stubborn to give up on the first try." He said while leaning against the locker, not realizing that his shoulder guard was causing him to slip against the locker and fall flat on his face. The girls watched him pop back up, "I'm good. I am okay."

The two other girls were confused by this boy's sudden appearance and strange personality as Weiss rubbed her temples. She grumbled, "Okay, listen..."

"Jaune."

"Jaune, right. Listen Jaune, today is a really big day for a lot of us. Exams. Teams. The fate of our futures being set up right in front of us- you know, that whole song and dance."

Jaune's peppiness shrunk a little, "Right."

"Well maybe you should spend a little time preparing yourself for making a team and not talking to random people that obviously aren't that thrilled with talking to you."

Jaune was silent for a moment as he considered what she said. He then had a suave smile take its place, "How about if we make a team? Then we can talk as much as we want."

"Oh my god it's like talking to a brick wall." Weiss bemoaned as she circled around and away from the rest of the group. They watched her walk and try to calm herself down.

Pyrrha laughed lightly before looking to the taller boy with a smile, "It seems like she's quite surprised to see someone so determined to talk to her."

"Well Momma Arc didn't raise no quitter." Jaune looked at the two other girls before waving at them, "I'm Jaune Arc, by the way. Sorry if I didn't introduce myself yet."

Tenten chuckled, "I'm Tenten Tamura."

Pyrrha waved her hand, "And I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"Tenten, Pyrrha, it's very nice to meet you both." Jaune said kindly to the two ladies before he tried to talk with them, "So are you guys making a team with each other?"

Pyrrha thought it over, "I...don't think that's how it's going to work during the exam."

"Oh. Okay. Well that's good to know." Jaune seemed nervous and immediately asked again, "Do you know what kinda exam we're gonna do anyway? Because I didn't know and if they already mentioned it then I wasn't listening and I don't know so-"

"Breathe." Tenten interrupted when she saw Jaune's face turn light purple, "Just breathe."

Jaune nodded and took a deep breath in and out before he felt his head start to clear. He nodded to the bun wearing girl, "Thanks I...I needed that." He sighed, "Yeah, I tried to keep my cool but when I heard all that stuff about teams and futures and paths being set today I...kinda almost lost it."

Tenten rolled her eyes, "Yeah. 'Almost' being the term to define."

Pyrrha smiled, "Don't worry Jaune, I'm sure you will do fine today. Just trust in whoever you're teamed up with and have each other's back."

"Right. Okay yeah, that's good advice." Jaune nodded and took a deep breath through his nose before looking at the two women, "So what about you girls? Ready for the exam?"

"Well, I'm prepared for everything." Tenten said, "And I'm sure Pyrrha will be fine because...well, she does stuff like this all the time."

Jaune looked at the red-head, "Oh, you do? What, was it like a prep school where you take tests and stuff?"

Pyrrha looked mildly surprised while Tenten was utterly shocked by his lack of knowledge about the celebrity. She motioned to the armor clad woman, "Pyrrha Nikos? The Pyrrha Nikos? Have you not heard of her?"

Jaune shook his head, "No, I've heard of her. She said her name a minute ago and now you've said it a few times too."

Pyrrha giggled at his simple answer.

Tenten tried to jog his memory, "Champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament?"

Jaune tilted his head, "What's that?"

"'The Next Great Warrior of Our Generation?'"

Jaune shook his head, "Not ringing any bells."

Tenten was flabbergasted, "But...but she won the cover spread of the Pumpkin Pete's cereal box because of all that stuff."

Jaune gasped and nearly lost the feeling in his legs as he pointed at Pyrrha, "I thought I had seen you before! That's my favorites cereal! I eat it all the time! I got my first cavities off that stuff!"

Pyrrha looked conflicted, "Oh...um...sorry about that."

Jaune waved off her concern, "Ah, don't sweat it. I'm sure those babies would've gone bad anyway."

She laughed again, "Well that's good to know."

Weiss came back over to the group with a displeased look on her face, "Okay, I think I'm feeling better now."

Jaune tried once more to be smooth, "You feeling better about the idea of us working on a team?"

"No. Just needed to spend a moment staving off an aneurysm." Weiss took her hands off her temples and looked back at the other girls, "I'm leaving."

"M-maybe I'll see you during the test."

"Maybe. But just to make sure I don't get too anxious with the idea that you're following me..." Weiss pulled out her rapier and swung it as the ground lit up at their feet before disappearing. Jaune blinked before looking down to see ice had formed up his legs all the way to his thighs.

Weiss walked away, Tenten following not long after while waving to the partially frozen blond. Pyrrha walked by his side and gave an apologetic look, "I'm really sorry about this Jaune."

Jaune sheepishly smiled, "Ah, it's all right. This isn't that bad so you don't need to worry. Good luck with the exam."

Pyrrha was hesitant as she decided to trust his confidence and waved him goodbye before she was out of sight.

Jaune then proceeded to try and pull his legs out of the ice by leaning, punching the ice, and the very unlikely possibility that he could fly away. He hung his head, "Darn it."

He heard a few footsteps make their way to him and looked up. Naruto, Ruby, Sasuke, and Yang all standing in front of him with varying degrees of amusement on their faces. Naruto smiled and tried to speak without laughing, "H-how...how in the world did you get yourself into this?"

Jaune avoided their eyes, "I...tried talking to Weiss again."

"Yeah, that would do it."

Ruby walked up to his side and reached up to pat his shoulder, "It's okay. So far, we're both being completely ignored at our attempts at talking with that girl."

Jaune held her shoulder in return, "I now think I understand your pain."

"Yeah." Yang gave a quirky smile, "Looks like you got put on Weiss."

...

Everyone just stared at her as Ruby gave her a thumbs-down, "Booooo~."

Yang turned her head, "Whatever. That was funny."

"Um..." Jaune got their attention and looked down at the ice that encased him, "Can you guys help me out here? I'm stuck...and cold."

"I've got it." Sasuke cocked the fore-end at the bottom of his sheathe and the flap opened up to reveal his shotgun. He aimed it at Jaune's feet before advising the trapped blond, "You might want to lean back."

"W-wait! Wait! Let's think about this-"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake closed her locker door after grabbing _Gambol Shroud_ and locking it onto the latch on her back. She started making her way out of the locker room and spotted the sight of several boy and girls making their way out. Some were stern and focused while a few were nearly jumping off the walls and full of energy(especially that girl bothering that boy with the pink highlight in his hair).

Blake was feeling-

***Bang***

"GYAKKKAAAAAA-WHYYYYYYY?!"

...

Blake was doing her best not to draw attention and keep calm. No one was staring at her. No one could tell who she was. She was safe here. And as long as she could avoid attention, everything would work out.

"Krrrwaaaaa! Krrrwaaaaa!"

"Honestly Nora, I don't think that's the noise a sloth makes. In fact, I don't think sloths make noise in the first place."

"You don't know that! What if they just stay silent when people are looking at them? Maybe they have sophisticated conversations when we aren't around! Oh~, maybe they wear top hats!"

"I really doubt that."

Blake listened to the odd but amusing conversation happening between two other students. She let a sense of relief and serenity develop inside her as she walked the hall.

This is where she let past mistakes be buried.

This is where all the insecurities and bad decisions were fixed.

This is where she started anew.

She wasn't going to let anyone change that.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Welcome students. Today is the day of your final exam to gain entry into Beacon." Ozpin said with a cup of coffee in his hand and Glynda by his side working with a Scroll. All of the new First Year students were lined up in front of them while standing on platforms built into the ground. Looked between all of them, "You have been training for years to develop yourselves as warriors. Be it power. Skill. Technique. Strategy. Or any other strengths you have built over time, today is the day where it all comes into play in the Emerald Forest."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked between him to see he was positioned right between Jaune and Ruby. With Jaune being at the end of the line and Ruby standing right next to her big sister. Naruto leaned forward to see Sasuke somewhere down the row standing besides a huge guy in armor and another boy with a pink highlight in his hair.

Jaune, Naruto, and Ruby looked between each other with a nervous grin as Glynda continued the introduction, "Now there have been some rumors spreading between the students that you will be placed into teams this year. Allow me to shine some light on this situation. Today, you will be assigned with other students as teammates."

Some of the teenagers made small gulping sounds but they steeled themselves for the situation.

Ozpin added, "And the team you are assigned to will be the team you shall work with for the rest of your time here at Beacon."

The First Years were still surprised but they knew as long as they kept their cool-

"And your teams will be made with the first person you make contact with inside the Emerald Forest."

...

The students all looked between each other with varying degrees of surprise and uncertainty.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..."

And Ruby made the most pathetic whimper of her entire life when the natural, antisocial introvert inside of her curled into a ball and cried.

"Once you have made a team, make your way to the northern edge of the forest. But be on your guard...this forest is teeming with dangers that will not hesitate to attack you. If you falter, you may lose your neck."

Jaune gulped.

"In the northern edge of the forest is a site holding several relics. Each team is to take one relic and find their way back to this cliff. From the time you arrive in the forest until you come back here, we will be evaluating you and your efforts." Ozpin looked at all the new students, "Are there any questions you might have about the test?"

Several students raised their ha-

"Good. Then let's begin. Take your positions and prepare your landing strategies."

The students all bent their knees, some of them taking out their weapons and making stances while others just braced themselves for the jump. Jaune was confused, "Wait, our what?"

"Your landing strategy, Mr. Arc."

Jaune didn't even seem to notice as the platforms they were standing on started propelling students down the line through the air and into the forest.

"Yeah, but I don't know what that means."

Sasuke gripped his sheathe as he was hurdled into the sky and flew over the trees.

"It's your individual way for landing on the ground and moving through the forest."

Yang took out some aviator glasses she had clipped on her collar before seeing Naruto and Ruby looking towards her. She grinned and saluted them before she was catapulted off the cliff.

"But why would we be landing?"

"Because otherwise you might sustain injury if you don't brace yourself."

Ruby smirked and was shot off like a bullet through the sky. Naruto watched her fly before he reached back and tightened his bandana with a smirk.

"But why would I-"

Naruto whistled and caught Jaune's attention before the whiskered blond waved goodbye. His platform shot out from the ground and he flew off while laughing at the top of his lungs.

Jaune was the last one left on the cliff. He looked down at the platform he was standing on and whimpered, "Can I take the stairs?"

"No."

"Ohh-WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"

Ozpin and Gylnda watched Jaune launch and could see all the students glide through the air. It was out of their hands now.

It was now up to them.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Naruto laughed like a madman as he kept a hand clamped on his bandana so it didn't fly off. The other students either landed already or were out of his sight but he was still soaring over the treetops. It wasn't everyday you got to experience something like flying. Or in this case, falling with style.

Speaking of style.

"Spin! Twirl! Airplane! And~ a front flip for style! Hahaha!"

Naruto's fun had to take a backseat as he felt his arc reached its apex and he started falling towards the trees. Both of his hands reached into the pack on his tailbone and pulled out a long strip of steel wire.

He held the wire in his mouth before reaching back and pulling two of the smaller blades out of their sheathe. He locked the wire together around the hooks of the blades before kicking one of them sharply at the top of a tree.

The small sword was imbedded into the wood and Naruto immediately came swing towards it before he gave a quick yank and the sword was pulled out. He continued using the sword and wire combo to swing from tree to tree and ease his way through the forest. When he finally started to see the ground, he pulled both swords back to his hands and vaulted off a lower branch.

He spun through the air several times before landing perfectly on the ground like a gymnast. He held his swords over his head before he laughed, "All right! 10/10!"

He heard some rustling and looked back to see several trees and branches start falling to the ground after he had accidentally cut through them.

He shrugged his shoulders before sheathing his swords again, "Meh. 9.5."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby jumped from branch to branch before landing on the grass in a crouch. She looked back up as her hair settled around her face before she sprinted at unbelievable speeds through the forest.

Her eyes looked focused and ready for anything.

Her thoughts on the other hand...

'Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! What kinda test is this?! I'm stuck with the first person I see for the next four years! I don't know people! I can't handle conversation! Okay, breathe Ruby, just breathe. Just look for somebody you know you can work with. How about Jaune? Yeah, Jaune's a good choice. He's nice. He's funny. He's...a bit slow when it comes to dangerous situations. Okay, maybe not Jaune. How about Naruto? Yeah, yeah Naruto's a great partner! He's confident! He can hold his own! He might start a fight at the drop of a-okay, Naruto will be a backup choice. Maybe Sasuke?...I don't know anything about him. Crud, this sucks! Oh, what about Blake! She was so cool yesterday, I bet she'd make a great partner. But she spoke less than me when I tried talking to her. And I think she wanted me to leave. Ugh, why can't I make up my mind? Besides Yang, who else do I know that'd make a good partner? Who else? Who-'

Ruby's thoughts were cut short when she ran through a bush and met with a certain girl with long white hair.

The heiress with the scar along her eye was pushing her way through the foliage when Ruby had come running through the thick trees. They were both silent and just blinked while looking at each other. Ruby was the first to make a move and waved to the white clad girl.

Weiss just ignored her and walked away as Ruby hung her head in shame.

No. No way. She was not going to stick with that little brat for the rest of her education. Somebody else. Anybody else would do.

"Hello~? Anyone~?"

Weiss stopped and looked up to see Jaune hanging from a tree by a red spear lodged in his hood. The blond young man looked down to see Weiss looking up at him and he waved to her.

She turned around again and walked rough the bushes until she saw Ruby standing there in the same place. She grabbed the red girl's hood and dragged her along, "You are the lesser of two evils."

"I knew you cared!"

Jaune listened as the two girls' voices disappeared and he was left pinned to a tree several feet off the ground. He sighed and drummed his fingers along the bark.

"I always seem to find you in some kind of strange predicament."

Jaune perked up a little and looked down to see Pyrrha standing by the base of the tree with her hands on her hips. She waved up at him with a smile.

He sulked and crossed his arms, "I'd prefer if this wasn't made into a habit." After a moment he looked down at the red-head and smiled, "But thanks for the save."

"No problem. Here, let me get you down." She pulled _Akoú__o_ off her back and tossed it hard enough to dislodge the spear from the tree and Jaune's hood. Unfortunately, Jaune didn't see this coming...

"AHHHHH-OOF!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth in horror as she looked at the boy lying at her feet. She spoke up, "I'm sorry."

He wheezed, "It's cool."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto slowly made his way through the forest while keeping his guard up at all times. There was a stiff, chilling sensation in the air around him. Something that told him to stay on his toes or else he would regret it later.

Ozpin was right, this place was crawling with Grimm.

Naruto had fought Grimm before. Hell, if you had a weapon and called yourself a fighter anywhere in Remnant then you would have had to fight a Grimm at least once. It was like a rite of passage.

Naruto heard the sound of movement rustling the bushes behind him. He stopped moving and started looking around his shoulders as he slowly reached up to grab his sword's hilt.

The thing hiding in the bushes jumped out and Naruto pulled his sword out to stop an attack. He was met with a barrel at the end of a tonfa being aimed right between his eyes.

The tip of Naruto's blade was only a few inches away from the boy with the wild brown hair. In return, his mechanical tonfa had extended a machine gun barrel from its tip and aimed at Naruto's face for instant retaliation.

Naruto spoke first, "Lower the weapon."

"You first."

"I don't like a machine gun pointed at my face."

"Well I don't like a sword pointed at mine."

"You're the one that came jumping out first. I was just protecting myself."

"I felt a presence moving behind the bushes and I acted. Ozpin said that this place would be full of things trying to attack us. I just wanted to make the first strike."

"..."

"..."

"You don't have a partner, do you?"

"No. You?"

Both boys were silent for a moment before they lowered their weapons with a dissatisfied sigh. Naruto sheathed his sword, "Name's Naruto."

The wild looking teenager hooked his tonfa away, "Kiba."

"Well Kiba, I guess we're partners now."

Kiba nodded his head but looked off to the side, "Yeah, I guess so."

The two strangers were quiet as an awkward atmosphere settled between them. Now that they were experiencing it, it was pretty unnerving to know the first person you met in the forest was going to have your back for the next four years.

Naruto clapped his hands, "Well, we aren't gonna get anywhere just standing here. Let's get moving." He started leading the way, "C'mon, the cliff is directly behind us so if we keep heading straight we should reach the sight they were talking about."

Kiba stood there and watched Naruto walk through the bushes. A moment passed before he reemerged with a stoic look on his face and he looked at the brown-haired man, "Why aren't you coming?"

"Because that's not the right way."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Do you think when he said north he meant directly that way? This forest is huge! North is a big general direction to move in." Kiba looked around for reference, "No, they must have put the site somewhere that would be more difficult to reach."

Naruto crossed his arms, "Okay, then what do you think we should do?"

Kiba pointed in one direction, "I caught the scent of something earlier before we jumped each other. I bet that's the path they took to get to the site."

Naruto looked at the boy with the tattoos on his face in confusion and slight disgust, "You caught a scent?"

"Yeah. It's a skill. Y'know, something we're supposed to be testing in this exam."

Naruto looked at him incredulously, "And how do you know it's the right path to the site?"

"Because the scent of perfume and milk was filling my nose." Kiba looked back at Naruto like he wasn't pleased with the idea of his abilities being questioned, "Ms. Goodwitch was wearing a hint of something while we were on the cliff and what do you put in coffee?"

He asked Naruto who just stood there with a stone-faced expression.

"Milk. Which means Ozpin must have been down here too." He pointed in the direction again, "I know if we head this way we'll reach the site in no time."

Naruto was silent for a moment before he asked, "So did you get a good whiff of everyone or are you just interested in knowing what Ms. Goodwitch smells like?"

"Great joke dumbass." Kiba started leaving, "C'mon, follow me."

Naruto stood there for a moment before he sighed and started following after Kiba.

If they were gonna be a team together then this was going to be a long four years.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**So since these chapters can be made pretty short, I can get more out faster and make up for the month long hiatus.**_

_**And just so you guys have an idea of why Weiss is being really mean, is because she is really mean. At least she was in the beginning of the series. Hell Kara, the lady who voices her, straight out said that Weiss is kind of a bitch. She still keeps elements of that even now but she has gotten a whole lot better compared to the first episodes she was in. That's the wonders of...**_

_**CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!**_

_**Anyway...**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	4. The Players Make Their Moves

Hunting or Bust

Dust 4: The Players Make Their Moves

I'm sorry I didn't get into the big action sequence you were all expecting but I needed this chapter to establish the next one.

I haven't updated recently because:

1) Work Load

2) Writer's Block

And most importantly 3) iOS 8 update completely destroyed my writing process, impeding the speed I can write, and hindered everything else I've been working on for the last few weeks. I lost more than a thousand words at a time because my program kept shutting down before I could save.

But anyway...

On with the show!

ZWEI!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Sasuke sprinted through the forest and maneuvered around the trees while making sure his senses were at the ready for anything and everything. Although now that he thought about it, there really wasn't any reason to try and be aware of his surroundings.

Because anything and everything that would want to hurt him was currently chasing him by his metaphorical tail.

Sasuke looked back to see a group of Beowolves, Boarbatusks, and Ursai for good measure charging after him.

While Sasuke dashed through the woods with the roaring and gurgling of several kinds of creatures of pure destruction chasing behind him, he couldn't help but glare and curse his luck.

It wasn't his fault that he was finding some fun in soaring over the trees, right? How many times do you get flung off a cliff with a catapult? And when you have the skills to land in a situation like that without sustaining injury, it isn't uncommon to try and find some joy in doing so.

But, of course, he had to jump a little further than where he was supposed to land.

And of course he landed directly in the middle of a Grimm nest.

Good lord, Naruto would be having a freakin' field day if he knew he was in this situation.

And if his brother knew he was being careless...

Oh who was he kidding, if his brother was facing him right now then he would have a lot more to say than just how disappointed he was that Sasuke was being careless.

And just as Sasuke's thoughts started to drift, an Ursa popped out from behind a tree and raised its claw to slash at him. But it swiped at thin air as Sasuke ducked under the massive claw before he flipped and placed his feet on the creature's chest.

He pulled the trigger and the shotgun blast blew the Grimm's head off while launching him at the charging stampede of monsters. He pulled his sword out in a quick draw and sliced a Beowolf in half before he skidded across the ground.

The Grimm all turned around before charging again at the sword wielding teenager. He spun the blade in his hand before parrying several strikes from a Beowolf that took the first charge. Sasuke blocked the monster's attack before spinning on his feet, removing his sheathe while cocking it, and aiming it against the Grimm's head before pulling the trigger.

As the Beowolf fell back, an Ursa came charging forward to attack the Uchiha boy but he blocked the strike with his sword. He immediately pushed the blade back before quickly swiping at the large Grimm's body several times with his blade. It met some resistance from the Grimm's naturally hard body and bone-like armor but each of Sasuke's strikes staggered the larger creatures before he kicked it in the chest and sent it flying back through a tree.

Two Boarbatusks came spinning at him while the raven-haired boy jumped over them for safety. They turned around before speeding towards him again. Sasuke gripped his sheathe and held both arms out as his sword and sheathe slipped in between the Grimms' tusks. He pushed down and sent the creatures flying through the trees while they wailed in shock.

He ducked under a Beowolf's swipe and swept its leg out from under it before kicking it into a bush. He smacked another Beowolf in the face with his sheathe before flipping his sword in hand and stabbing behind him into a charging Boarbatusk. He looked up to see a pouncing Ursa come down at him so he rolled out of the way as the monster crashed into the ground.

Sasuke rolled before sitting back up to see that the entire collection of Grimm were covering him on all sides, letting out low growls as they advanced towards him. The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes before flipping his sword in hand and sliding it back into its sheathe. He reached down and cocked the top fore-end before gripping the handle of his sword.

The young man closed his eyes and slowed his breathing while keeping his focus on the Grimm and their movements.

The surrounding Grimm all pounced forward at the crouching boy with the intent to kill.

***Bang***

***Schwip*Schwip*Schwip*Schwip*Schwip***

With the extra power from firing _Vollmond Reflexion_ out of his sheathe, he drew his sword with a quick slash and cut everything around him several times. The Grimm all froze in place with Sasuke's arm outstretched with his sword in hand.

The Grimm all blew apart after getting sliced into pieces and the trees around them fell apart from the power of Sasuke's fast draw.

As his enemies fell to chunks, Sasuke spun his sword in his hand before sheathing it again and standing up. He looked around at all the sliced apart bark, bushes, and Grimm parts before deciding to get back to the exam at hand.

**"Grahhhhhhhhh."**

Sasuke stopped and looked back to see the Ursa he had kicked earlier had recovered after his strike and was making its way back to him. It stood up on its hind-legs and prepared to fight him again. Sasuke furrowed his eyes and lowered his stance to attack once more.

***Schwip(x57)***

Sasuke blinked in surprise as knives flew around him and littered the Grimm's entire body. There were dozens of knives pierced into the creature's body and they had flew around him so expertly that there was an outline of his body where the Ursa wasn't skewered.

It let out one last growl before falling forward in a dead heap.

Sasuke just stood there in surprise as his last foe was swiftly and utterly defeated by several dozen different types of knives that flew out of nowhere.

"Hey, that was pretty cool right?"

Sasuke turned around to see a young lady with her hair done up in buns.

She smiled and flipped her wrist so a knife appeared between her fingers, "Sorry I didn't come out sooner but it looked like you were handling everything pretty well by yourself. I think that thing you did with your sword was way cooler, but I guess I just wanted to help in the end. You don't have a partner yet, right?"

She grinned, "I'm Tenten. Looks like we're gonna be working together for a while."

Sasuke just looked at the bun-haired girl for a moment in silence. He looked back at the Ursa with the multitude of knives in its body before looking back at her in confusion, "Where...where do you hide all those knives?"

Tenten smirked, "Trade secret."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby was silently following behind the older, white-haired girl that silently marched her way through the forest. After they had met up a while back, Weiss had dragged her along by her hood before letting her go and just kept moving. Since then, they hadn't so much as shared a conversation together.

Ruby was nervous because Weiss had a displeased, annoyed scowl spread over her face and she looked like she would go off at any moment.

To be fair, in all of the interactions she had with the heiress, she always seemed to look angry about something. But in her defense every time they met it usually ended in disaster.

Ruby sped up so she was catching up to the rapier user before she asked lightly, "Weiss, are you mad? You seem mad?"

Weiss answered immediately, "Yes. You're right. I am mad."

"Why are you mad?"

"It shouldn't be that hard to figure out why I'm mad."

"B-but I can't think why."

"Well then that's your own fault."

Ruby's expression fell and she sulked, "Geez, why are girls so hard to understand?"

Weiss stopped before looking back at her strangely. She shook her head, "You're a girl too. That...that doesn't make any sense."

Ruby felt sheepish under her glare, "W-well, I didn't have a lot of friends. And I'm more used to straight-forward girls like Yang so-okay, can you please just tell me what's wrong? Otherwise nothing is ever gonna be solved."

"Fine, if you want to know then I'll tell you." Weiss looked at her reluctantly accepted partner, "I'm upset because I don't even get a say in the matter of how much future is planned for me. I wanted a chance to prove myself. To become something worthy of this school's prestigious standard and become a great Huntress. But now...I don't think I'll be able to reach that goal anymore. Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose but continued speaking, "The reason I'm mad is because I'm with you. An immature, unreliable child that I'm going to have to drag win me for the next four years. Someone I can't put my full trust in."

Ruby stood there silently as Weiss' words slowly started to sink in. Her expression sank and she looked down at her feet, feeling hurt by the way the white-haired girl was so certain she wasn't able to help. The red-tipped girl steeled her features and decided she wasn't going to let those assumptions define her, "I won't be a burden!"

Weiss looked back up, "Excuse me?"

In an instant, Ruby appeared in front of Weiss in a burst of speed, shocking the girl off balance, "I promise I won't be a burden to you Weiss! I can help these next four years! There will be awesomeness. Awesomeness everywhere."

Weiss stumbled back, "H-how did you-"

"Believe me Weiss, I can take care of myself! I'm quick! I can fight! Plus..." Ruby took the large red attachment off her back and extended it into her massive _Crescent Rose_, "No one will even think about messing with us while I've got this baby!"

Weiss jumped back in fright at the sight of the massive, deadly weapon in her hands. Due to their short history where very bad things happen when Ruby actively did something, Weiss was very apprehensive of her holding such a large...sharp weapon. She raised her hands, "Okay...that is very impressive...just be careful with that thing."

"Don't worry." Ruby started spinning the massive scythe with an expert hand while attempting to reassure the heiress, "I've been studying how to use a weapon like this for a long time. I've got this in the-"

***Bang***

They both flinched when Ruby's sniper accidentally went off and fired a round into the bushes. The girls slowly looked towards the direction the silver-eyed girl had fired and listened as birds and animals started rustling through the grass.

Ruby gulped before looking in the corner of her eyes to see Weiss giving her the most annoyed, incredulous look she could make.

She giggled nervously, "Oops. Sorry."

Before anything else could be said, they heard some low growls and gurgling from the bushes around them.

They turned around and watched as red eyes appeared from out of the shadows. Slowly, large claws of bone and black inky skin started reaching out before Beowolves made themselves noticed. They lurked forward with all of their vicious eyes trained on the red and white girl. And among the many monsters, one of them had a smoking gun wound in its shoulder.

Okay, correction. THAT was the most annoyed look Weiss had ever made while glaring at her.

Weiss shook her head and pulled _Myrtenaster_ from her hip. She spun the Dust revolver and got into a fencing stance, "After this, you don't do anything else for the rest of the exam. And not another word."

Ruby gripped her scythe, "It was an accident-"

"Ah! What did I just say?"

Ruby grumbled before placing her foot back and getting ready to fight, her and Weiss standing besides each other while looking around at their enemies. The Beowolves slowly stalked forward and prepared to attack.

Ruby pulled her slide and cocked her gun before firing forward and launching her self backwards. She spun through the air with her scythe outstretched as she knocked several monsters back before imbedding her massive weapon into the ground to stop.

Weiss followed after her partner's initial strike and spun on her feet before a glyph appeared under her and she thrusted forward. She shot off with amazing speed and struck the center of a Grimm's chest, blowing it backwards into the rest of the group. She spun around and swung her rapier with a swift yet staggering force.

Ruby jumped on the back of her weapon and dislodged it from the ground before spinning it in her hands and slicing off several Beowolves' claws. She twirled it around like a weightless stick before stopping it in one direction and firing off the sniper rifle, blowing off one of the Grimm's heads without any trouble.

Weiss swung her blade out before bringing it back to her shoulder and spinning the revolver to the white Dust chamber. Her blade glowed white before she swung her sword and a glyph appeared in the air, creating several icicles and shooting them in every direction. The icicles impacted against several Beowolves and killed them instantly.

While Weiss continued to swing her rapier and create different elemental attacks, Ruby charged forward and swung her scythe. _Crescent Rose_ cut through the side of the monsters as their swipes bounced off her weapon. She leaned back as one Beowolf swung at her face before the back of her scythe's landed on its shoulder and she pulled the trigger.

***Bang***

Her scythe sliced through the Grimm's chest and she swung through behind her to decapitate another one lurking behind her. She spun it in her hand and held it behind her while looking around at the remaining Beowolves, smirking confidently at her show of skill. These guys stood no chance.

She dashed forward-

"Ruby stop!"

She looked up to see a blast of fire coming at her from Weiss' position and she panicked. Ruby stumbled a little and stopped just before the blast hit her but was still knocked over by the explosion. She tumbled on the ground and rubbed her head before looking up at her partner in confusion, "What are you doing?!"

"You were running all over the field! I can't predict where you are-" Weiss' eyes widened and she pointed behind her, "Watch out!"

Ruby looked behind her to see a Beowolf raising its arm to attack her. It brought its claw down before she could move and she prepared to counter-

Two short blades flew out of the air and pierced the Grimm, one in the forehead and the other in its sternum. An orange and blue blur jumped out of the bushes and spun through the air before landing in a crouch in front of the hooded girl, pulling another two blades off from his back and throwing them at the creatures surrounding them.

Naruto stood up and looked down at Ruby before offering his hand, "Glad to see you're still causing trouble."

She looked up at him before smiling, taking his hand before standing back up. Another group of Beowolves started charging them before they were riddled with bullets and blown apart. They all looked back to see Kiba charging out of the bushes with his tonfa in hand. He emptied the magazines before two more appeared from the latches on his legs and he switched them out, "Less talking! More fighting!"

Ruby and Naruto nodded before the scythe wielding girl charged forward with the extra momentum of her shooting. Naruto reached back and pulled the last six short swords of his back, gripping each one between his knuckles as a Beowolf jumped him. He ducked under its claw before he started stabbing up into its exposed belly several times and kicking it away.

As its body flew through the air dead, two Beowolves came charging at him from different sides. He blocked their long white claws as they scrapped against the metal of his blades. They continued forward and slashed at him as sparks flew when they were parried away.

Naruto spun and ducked under their attacks before placing his palms against their chins. He put pressure on the hilts between his knuckles and three arrows shot through both of the Grimms' heads.

Ruby circled around while creating a perimeter the Beowolves couldn't escape from, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. She moved so fast she had become nothing more than a red blur, the sounds of slicing flesh and mechanical whirring filling the space around them.

Kiba continued to spread out his arms as he shot every Grimm in his sight. One of them ducked under his bullets and charged at him before attempting to slice off his head. He blocked it with his tonfa before grabbing its arm and pushing his other fist under its jaw. He lifted it up before punching down, triggering a rocket system on the back of his weapon and giving him enough force to crush its skull into the ground, "WRAHHHHH!"

Kiba stood back up as Ruby came running to his side, retracting _Crescent Rose_ back into its gun form and pulling the slide. Kiba changed his tonfa back into their gun mode and the two teenagers were shooting everywhere around them as the Grimm started to thin out.

Naruto pulled on the strings wrapped around his thumbs and dislodged the blades he had thrown earlier. He gave them a fair amount of length and start swinging them around as they started stabbing into the remaining Beowolves. With a mighty pull, he swept them off the ground and sent them flying into the sky where they spun for a moment.

Weiss looked up at the flying target and changed her Dust setting to yellow before swiping her sword at the target. A dozen small yellow projectiles formed from where she swung her blade before they rocketed up and destroyed the last of the Grimm.

The four First Year students stood in the clearing as specks of Dust started snowing down on them. Naruto swiped his hands back and the blades came soaring down and lodged into the dirt by his feet. He took a moment to sheathe them before breathing out in relief, "That was fun. But let's try not to get all the Grimm in the forest angry at us while we're taking the exam, agreed?"

Ruby hunched over and relaxed her arms, "It was an accident. I swear I wasn't trying to provoke them or anything."

"Yeah but you always seem to get in an accident that ruins everything." Naruto pointed out while walking over to the hooded girl and his partner. He smiled, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Yeah, you too."

"Well this is a touching reunion and all..." Kiba interrupted while securing his tonfa to his tailbone, "But who are these girls?"

Ruby looked up at the taller, wild looking teenager standing besides her. She brightened up and looked at Naruto before asking excitedly, "Is this your partner?"

"Yep. Ruby, this is Kiba Inuzuka. He seems like a stubborn jerk but...well I don't know, haven't really talked with him much yet." Kiba glared at Naruto as he just grinned at taking the shot, "Kiba, this is Ruby Rose."

Ruby waved at the brown-haired boy with tattoos, "Nice t'meetcha."

He just gave a small smile and waved in return. Ruby bounced on her heels, "This is great! We both got our partners! Hey Weiss, come over here and-"

The white-haired girl had already made her way over with an annoyed glare on her face. She glared at her partner, "What were you thinking?"

Ruby blinked in confusion, "W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you were running around so frantically during the fight!" Weiss said with an annoyed and distressed tone in her voice. She motioned to the battle they just finished, "You were running around without any discussion or cooperation, attacking everything in sight like you're someone out of a Spruce Willis movie!"

"Hey I was just fighting the way I've always fought. It's worked for me so far."

"Well it's a foolish and stupid way to fight!" Naruto and Kiba looked between each other before taking a step back from the girls' inevitable argument. Weiss pointed at her, "I almost hit you with my attack when you were fighting the Grimm! I could have killed you!"

"Hey, you were the one who threw that thing at me in the first place! It's your fault just as much as mine!" She crossed her arms with a huff, "Plus it would take a whole lot more than that to kill me."

Weiss shook her head, "Ugh! You are just insufferable!"

"Woah! Woah!" Naruto stood between the two young ladies and tried to mediate the situation, "Okay, let's all calm down. We need to take a deep breath before things get out of hand."

Weiss looked up at the taller blond and felt a twitch in her eyebrow, "Aren't you the one who was trying to instigate the argument last night?"

Naruto looked towards her, "Yeah, but that was for a good laugh. Now, you guys are going at each other's throats in the middle of a war zone. That's never a good idea."

Weiss was reluctant for a moment before she realized that as much as she wanted to reprimand the red-colored girl, this was not the time to do as such. She placed a hand on her hip before looking at the bandana wearing student, "What are you even doing here in the first place?"

Naruto relaxed when he noticed they probably weren't going to argue anymore, "We got lost on the way to the relics and we found you guys along the way. We weren't just gonna leave you guys to fight by yourselves."

"Hey!" They all looked over at an enraged Kiba as he pointed at the blond, "We were not lost and you know it! We were just...taking a detour."

"Oh right, my mistake." Naruto grumbled while throwing a looked back at his touchy partner, "Mr. Wonder Nose over there was sniffing his way to Ms. Goodwitch when he got sidetracked. My reliable partner everyone."

"You sonuva-" Kiba was fuming, "I got mixed up, fine! But my Semblance is useful in a hundred different situations! This forest is full of crap! It's not my fault I got two similar scents confused with these two!"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, "How did you confuse scents?"

"Because you smell like milk from head-to-toe!" He pointed at Ruby, catching her off guard and making her squeak in fright. He then held his nose while looking at the heiress, "And you, do you bathe in a tub of perfume or something? You reek!"

Weiss covered herself with a flush on her cheeks, "How dare you!"

Kiba defended himself, "Hey, you can take that anyway you want. But my Feral saved your butts before you got hurt."

"We are not some helpless girls that were waiting for you to swoop in!" Weiss defied with a stern edge in her voice, "We didn't ask for help from you or Rag Head over there!"

Naruto held a hand to his bandana and furrowed his eyes. This was a bandana! Not a rag!

Ruby was quiet for a moment while looking between the heated arguers and tried to calm them down, "Weiss, they still helped us. We should at least thank them."

Weiss furrowed her eyes before turning with a huff. Kiba clicked his teeth before taking a few steps back with a uninterested grunt, "We don't need your thanks so don't even bother with it."

Naruto and Ruby shared a glance, feeling concerned about their partners' ill-tempered behavior in the stressful situation. Naruto gave a weak smile, "We should probably keep movin' to the relic site. Someone must've already made it by now. Don't wanna be the last ones there."

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Y-yeah, Naruto's right. We can all get there if we can work together."

Weiss started walking off, "We're going this way."

Kiba stormed off in another direction, "C'mon, I know this is the way!"

Naruto and Ruby looked between the two of them leave in different directions. Ruby looked at her partner indignantly, "Weiss!"

"We are not trying to make a group of friends so we can all talk and have a party together. We're trying to prove to the teachers and everyone else that we are capable of handling any dangers we may face in situations like this." Weiss said while looking back with a solid, unwavering expression, "So we don't have time to waste trying to make friends."

Ruby shrunk down a little as Naruto tried to negotiate, "Wait, hold on. We can still work together just-Kiba, get your ass back here!"

Weiss continued to march her way forward before Ruby started to follow after her. She turned to her whiskered friend and smiled, "We'll see you later Naruto. Good luck with the test."

Weiss and Ruby disappeared in the green and Naruto looked back to see Kiba waiting for him to follow. He just sighed tiredly and ran his face over his hands.

Why were people always so stubborn in situations when they had to prove themselves? Not like he was any better but it was a serious question to think about.

It was important that they prove they were strong in dangerous situations...but wouldn't keeping each other safe mean more in the end than anything else?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Jaune and Pyrrha were making their way through the thick foliage of the forest while the sound of gunfire of many different kinds echoed through their ears. Jaune stopped and looked at the trees as he gulped, "Was...was that a gun?"

Pyrrha stopped for a moment and listened before nodding, "Yes. It must be one of the other examinees. They must have come across a Grimm." She continued forward, "We must hurry."

"W-wait!" Jaune hesitated for a moment, "Should we-I don't know-help or something?"

Pyrrha looked back at him for a moment before looking around at the trees. She made a complicated expression, "I cannot tell which direction the gunfire came from. I don't think we'll be able to find them just by trying to follow the echo." She saw Jaune look conflicted before she tried to reassure him, "Jaune, there's no reason to be worried. Everyone here has trained for many years to reach this point. I'm sure they can all take care of themselves."

Jaune looked back for a moment and nodded, "Yeah...yeah I guess you're right." He took a few steps forward before scratching the back of his head, "I hope the others are safe."

She looked back at him and seemed interested in his worry, "Are there some friends of yours taking this exam as well?"

"Yeah. Well-I call them my friends but I kinda only met them yesterday."

"But you're worried about them?"

"Of course!" Jaune responded like it was the most natural thing to say, "If they needed help then I would do whatever I could to help!" Jaune stood valiant for a moment before slumping his shoulders, "Although I really don't know how much use I'd actually be but still..."

"Hehehe." Jaune stopped mulling over what he'd do in a situation like that and looked up to see Pyrrha's shoulders shake with her giggle. She turned around and smiled at him, "That is a very admirable decision Jaune, and I'm sure your friends would appreciate having you watch out for them like that."

Jaune chuckled, "Yeah. I bet they'd appreciate it more if I had someone like you by my side to help. I'm sure if you just throw that super spear thing around a little you could scare just about anything off."

Pyrrha smiled but had a mixed look in her eyes hearing him say that. She shook her head, "There is a stark difference between being strong and being invincible. I might be able to hold out against a strong opponent for some time but I would not want to face it alone. Anyone would prefer having help than to just be alone."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha's back as she continued moving through the forest before he spoke up, "Well, I can help you if you're ever in trouble." She looked back at him before he shrugged his shoulders, "I mean I probably won't be any more help than if you just handled it alone but I promise I'll be by your side if you need me. For as much of a meat shield as I can be."

Pyrrha looked at him in surprise before a delighted smile grew across her face, "Thank you Jaune. It means a lot to know I have you watching my back." Jaune smiled reassuringly as they continued forward, Pyrrha moving a branch out of her way, "But you shouldn't speak so poorly about yourself. I'm sure you would be a great partner to have in a fight."

He scoffed, "Yeah. Just as useful in a fight as-GAH!"

The branch Pyrrha was pushing back snapped forward and struck Jaune directly in the face. The red-haired warrior looked back and covered her mouth, "Oh no! I'm sorry Jaune! I'm so sorry!"

"N-no, I'm all right." He was covering the lower part of his face and his left eye was starting to water, "Just got caught off guard."

Pyrrha kneeled beside him, "Here, let me see." She gently held his wrist and lowered it from his face, "It shouldn't be too-uhhhhhhh."

"What? Is something wrong?" Jaune was a little unnerved by Pyrrha blank and horrified look.

She was staring at where a small twig had lodged itself between his cheek and just below his eye. She paled a little before she made an uncertain but calming smile for the quirky blond, "It's-um-it's all right Jaune. Just...close your eyes...and take a deep breath."

"Oh...okay." Jaune closed his eyes while Pyrrha gently placed a hand against his face, "Why do I need to close my-"

***YANK***

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-didn't hurt." Jaune lamely whimpered out while some tears started forming in the side of his eyes.

Pyrrha laughed awkwardly while looking at the slightly bloodied twig in her hand. She tossed it to the side before moving closer to Jaune, "Let me take another look."

He was hesitant for a moment but he trusted that Pyrrha would know how to help him. He lowered his hand to reveal a small but bloody gash between his eye and cheek. She examined it for a moment before signing in relief, "I know it might seem callous but I think it must have felt worse than it actually was."

He wiped the involuntary tear forming in his eye and chuckled, "Well I guess there are worse things than having a stick in the face. Still hurt though."

Pyrrha apologized, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. It was the tree's." He joked before standing back up and rubbed just underneath the wound, "Can't wait to explain this when we get back."

Pyrrha had a small smile on her face while listening to the scraggly blond joke about his injury. She examine the wound she blamed herself for, "I should have warned you about the branch? At least then you could have activated your Aura and lessened the blow."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "My what?"

"Your Aura."

"Whosea?"

"Jaune, you know what Aura is, right?"

Jaune realized he might have made a mistake and tried to cover for himself, "Oh-Uh-of course I know. Yeah, totally! That 'Orda' thing! I got that! I-I just didn't remember because I'm still a little stunned by the branch thing."

Pyrrha saw his efforts to try and cover his lack of knowledge at the subject and decided not to pry. She looked at him, "Aura is our life force, Jaune. Our very soul that manifests itself to protects us. To guide us. To shelter us from the fear, the uncertainty, and the darkness in the world. As long as you have a soul, you have Aura to guide you. And with proper practice..." Her body slowly started to glow a faint red light and Jaune was surprised at the sight, "It can become as protective and sturdy as any shield."

Jaune was stunned at the sight of the illuminating light. He blinked, "And...everything has Aura?"

"No. Not everything." Pyrrha looked off for a moment, "People and animals can manifest their life force...but the creatures of the Grimm can not." She started walking around while reciting everything she had been taught on the matter, "They lack a soul to begin with. They are only the manifestation of hatred and darkness. We fight them because we must understand that while we all have darkness within us, we are still the light that protects this world. When you can understand that, you can truly begin to make strides in becoming something more."

Jaune mulled over what she said as she saw him in deep thought. She walked up to him and looked into his eyes, "Close your eyes."

Jaune blinked, "Oh no. I don't have another twig in my face, do I?"

She shook her head, "No. But if you want to become a Huntsman, then you will need to find the light within you."

Jaune was confused for a moment before he nodded and closed his eyes. Pyrrha placed her hands on his cheeks and closed her eyes, 'It is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.'

Pyrrha body glowed brightly for a split second before her light faded and a white light illuminated from Jaune's body in its place. She stumbled and Jaune opened his eyes in time to grab her arms and keep her standing, "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha felt a warmth spread along her arms and blinked her eyes back into focus to see Jaune's body glowing white. She shook her head and reassured her partner, "It's all right Jaune, I was just winded from unlocking your Aura. I was expecting a small outburst before it settled but...you have quite a lot for just one person."

Jaune was surprised, "Really?"

"Yes." She smiled and pointed at his face, "And it's working in your favor."

Jaune touched underneath his eye and couldn't feel the wound that once rested there. He laughed, "How did that happen?"

"It's one of the perks of having Aura. While you can use it to protect you, it can also heal minor wounds and injuries. Sometimes only temporarily but it is still an asset to have in battle." Pyrrha smiled at Jaune's cheerful expression while looking over his glowing form, "And now that you've unlocked your Aura, it won't be long before you can find your Semblance."

Jaune looked up from his glowing arms, "My what?"

"Semblance, Jaune. A unique ability every person has that is a manifestation of your inner power. Everyone that has Aura finds that not long after, they are capable of using a power unlike most others."

Jaune was overwhelmed by her explanation and watched as the light around his body faded. He looked over his hands, "Hmmmm...I wonder if this is the same thing Naruto did yesterday with his palm."

Pyrrha titled her head, "What do you mean?"

"Well one of the guys I met yesterday, Naruto, he showed me the same kinda healing thing with a cut he made on his hand." Jaune then gestured to his whole body, "But he didn't do the whole 'glowing' thing I did. Would that be his Semblance or something?"

Pyrrha cupped her chin and thought, "I haven't met anyone that had Regeneration as their Semblance before. If it is a more advanced form than what Aura can do by itself then it is certainly possible."

"Well whatever." Jaune shrugged his shoulder and continued the path, "I'm sure his Semblance thing will help him in the fight. C'mon, we still got a relic to find, right?"

Pyrrha watched Jaune continue forward with a renewed joy in his step. She smiled and giggled to herself as he headed through the foliage. He only just discovered what Aura and Semblance are, and he seemed a little scatter-brained, but Jaune trusted and cared about people wholeheartedly. He was kinder and more aware than he portrayed himself to be at first glance.

"Ah!" Jaune fell over on the ground before raising a hand, "It's okay! I got caught in a bush but it's cool!"

Pyrrha laughed to herself before going over to help her friend out.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"That's the last of the teams, sir. All of the students have now been paired off with each other." Gylnda spoke aloud while informing the headmaster of Beacon Academy the current status of their First Years. She furrowed her eyes, "Although I don't have much faith in some of these pairings. Conflicting personalities. Different viewpoints and skills. I'm worried this might not have been the best choice of action to make up teams."

"Weathering through any situation and being able to look out not only for yourself but those you walk alongside. This is what our test best exemplifies Glynda." Ozpin looked over his shoulder, "They may seem rough at the moment, but they will come to show themselves when the time is right."

Glynda looked down at her scroll in thought before looking back up at Ozpin's back, "Sir, I have some...reservations about the applicants you accepted this year."

Ozpin didn't turn around but did speak up, "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Gylnda started rolling over her touch screen, "Well you accepted Ms. Rose two years ahead of her determined graduation time. I understand that she showed bravery and unprecedented skill while facing that criminal in the Dust shop but I still think we should have considered it more before accepting her so quickly. And this Jaune boy as well. His transcripts say he is an excellent student but the evidence we've witnessed so far has proven otherwise. I'm worried not only for his safety but for Ms. Nikos' as well."

"Anything else?"

Gylnda lowered her Scroll and fixed her glasses before walking closer to the headmaster's side, "I still cannot believe you decided to take those two young men out of the custody of the police and fly them here to Beacon. As far as we know they could still be dangerous criminals and endanger the safety of the rest of our students."

Ozpin looked over his shoulder, "This wouldn't be the first time we've taken young people with unfavorable pasts into our system. I know we might hold hesitations at first but I always make sure that those I pick to attend are those I believe are worthy. Those two young men might appear bad on paper but as we've witnessed in the test, they are very skilled and work well with others. They are genuinely concerned for their comrades and are not showing any signs that they are just using this chance to escape. I told you...I gave those boys the choice myself and I know they deserve another chance to prove themselves. Believe in me Glynda...I would not have taken this chance if I did not believe it was the right thing to do."

Gylnda was silent and looked off while holding back another complaint building inside her. Ozpin noticed this, "You have other reservations about something?"

Gylnda sighed, "Professor, I question whether it was a rational decision you made when you allowed a boy with history in his name to attend."

Ozpin looked back at her, "I don't believe in judging someone just by what their name has garnered over time. I invited Ms. Schnee not because of the prestige in her name but the volume her skills spoke of. In the end, it is character we must see in a person, not their title."

"I know sir. But I also know that you wish to open your doors to everyone that is willing to accept the task, human and Faunus. But there are some people that can't look past the actions of the past and the scars they've created. I just don't know if many people will be able to look past a name like his and accept the boy beneath the title."

Ozpin looked back over the forest and contemplated the possibility. He swirled his coffee in his mug, "Well...I suppose only time will tell if we can truly move away from the past...and build to a better future."

"I...suppose sir. We will just have to wait until they reach the temple before expecting anything else." Gylnda searched through her Scroll for a moment before something caught her attention, "What did you use for relics this year, sir?"

Ozpin did not answer.

"Sir?"

He continued to look out over the cliff in silence.

"Might it be the reason that the chessboard was clear when I spotted it in your office this morning?"

Ozpin just took a sip of his coffee and continued to wait for his students.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Yang pushed her way out of a few bushes, a frown on her face from fruitless exploration and multiple leaves and twigs sticking out of her luxurious hair. She ran her hand through her hair before she came out upon a steep hill that ran down into a lower clearing. She looked down before speaking over her shoulder, "Hey, come look at this!"

Following not long after was the black-haired beauty that she had made an acquaintance with last night. Blake stepped up to Yang's side, "What is it?"

They both stood at the top of the hill, just over a large rock formation with several different pillars and pedestals at its ring base.

The two girls stared at it for a moment before the blonde one questioned, "You think this is it?"

"Well considering it's the only man-made formation in the middle of a forest..." Blake gave Yang an uninspired look, "I'd say it's a pretty good guess this is it."

Blake started walking down the hill while Yang pouted, "Well sure, think of it like that and it's obvious." The boxer followed after her bow wearing partner as they made their way down to the abandoned temple.

They stepped on the stone and started walking along the inside of the temple. They were separated as they looked at the objective of their exam. Sitting on top of the pedestals were...

Black and Gold figures.

Blake raised an eyebrow, "The relics are...chess pieces? Are they trying to be symbolic about something or were they just lazy and grabbed the first thing they spotted?"

"Meh, probably a little bit of both." Yang turned around with a smile, "As a fellow procrastinator, I can relate about finding useful stuff at the last minute." Blake gave her a dry look before Yang looked over the pedestals again and noticed some were empty, "A few of the pieces are missing."

"Well there were a lot of other people taking this test." Blake mentioned before walking over to Yang, "It shouldn't be a surprise that other people got here first."

"I'm surprised more of them haven't made it yet." Yang mused before she shrugged her shoulders, "Screw it. They'll get here when they get here. Let's pick one!" She looked over the gold pieces before the horse grabbed her attention and she smiled, "Hey, how about this little horsey?"

"That's a Knight."

"Why's the Knight a horse?"

Blake was silent for a moment before she shrugged in return. They smiled at their triumph at passing the test before they heard some rustling in the bushes away from them. The two girls shared a look before facing the noise and slowly inching towards their weapons...

"You were right! There was something beyond the trees!" A girl with her hair up in buns emerged from the bushes with a huff before looking up at the temple. She then noticed the two girls standing in the middle of the structure and deflated, "Aw man, I thought we'd make it first. Dang it."

Yang and Blake looked between each other before the outgoing blonde smiled and waved her golden chess pieces, "Sorry, but if it makes you feel any better we just got here a moment ago."

"Well I guess that's better than nothing." Tenten looked behind her, "Sasuke, you were right! This was definitely the place we were supposed to go!"

Sasuke came walking out of the forest while dusting himself off, "That's a relief."

"Sasuke! You made it!" Yang waved to her new friend while bringing attention to her chess piece, "The relics are chess pieces! We got the horsey!"

"Knight."

"What she said!"

Sasuke and Tenten made it over to the temple while the raven-haired boy looked around for the excitable young girl in a red hood. He couldn't see her anywhere and looked at the curvaceous blonde, "I guess you couldn't find Ruby in the end?"

"Nah. But she's strong. I'm sure she'll be all right. And maybe she teamed up with Naruto so that'd be a plus." Yang smiled again and gestured to the black clad girl besides her, "Anyway, I got someone else to tie me down! Sasuke, this is Blake! Say hi Blake!"

Blake and Sasuke looked at each other for a moment, feeling the same sense of trepidation and anxiousness they felt when they walked past each other yesterday afternoon. Blake narrowed her eyes but still gave the raven-haired boy a slight nod before walking to look over the remaining chess pieces.

Yang stood there in confusion as her partner walked off before waving the action off as another trait of the black-haired girl, "Oh don't mind her. I'm pretty sure that's how she acts towards everyone she meets."

Sasuke concealed some worry and nodded his head, "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Sasuke!" The sword user turned around and caught a gold Bishop piece tossed into his hand. He looked up to see Tenten grinning, "We passed!"

Sasuke looked down at the piece in his hand before examining it and speaking out loud, "I guess this means not everybody has made it yet, doesn't it?"

Yang showed some concern, "Yeah, guess not."

Blake reassured them, "They must've gotten lost on the way here. It's probably not the best idea to assume the worst just yet."

Tenten walked over to them and smiled in agreement, "Yeah. I'm sure they're fine."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"WHY-"

***Slash***

"-DID YOU-"

***Schwip***

"-PISS THEM OFF MORE?!"

Naruto slashed through the head of a Beowolf while shooting another in the back with an arrow. He turned his head, "They were following us! I tried to scare them off! I didn't know they'd get angrier!"

"It's how a pack works! They look out for their own!" Kiba punched one in the head before grabbing its legs and spinning around before throwing it into another group, "And when one idiots kills one of their own, they get angry!"

"Well sorry I didn't think about how they felt when they wanted to kill us! We wouldn't be in this situation if that super nose of yours could actually work!"

"S-shut up!" Kiba defended himself, "This forest is full of animals that have marked their territory and dead Grimm! I can't get a clear trail on-"

"No! No excuses! From now on, we're trusting my gut!" Naruto argued before jumping back from a slash at his head and stood back-to-back with Kiba.

The tattooed student looked around and gripped his tonfa, "Okay. And what does your gut say about this?"

Naruto looked around before stabbing _Stormer_ by his feet. He reached back and pulled more of his short blades out as well as some wire. He gave a confident smirk, "Decimate 'em."

**"Grrrrrrrrr-yip!"**

The Beowolves all started to retreat and run away with a frightful yip. Naruto watched all of the Grimm run away from him with a confused and surprised look before he smiled. He gloated, "Yeah! That's right! Don't mess with Naruto Uzumaki! Learn that and you might just live to see another day!"

Kiba tapped his shoulder.

"Not now man. And another thing-"

Kiba grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"What? What is it?"

Kiba had a horrified look on his face as he pointed forward. Naruto looked in the same direction and his eyes slowly started to widen in shock. A massive, hunched shadow started to descend over them and a monstrous, guttural growl reached their ears.

"Uh oh."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Pyrrha stopped following Jaune in the cramped cave space they currently found themselves in and looked behind her. Her instincts were flaring up for a moment and she wondered why. She looked back forward at her partner, "Do you really think this is the place Professor Ozpin told us to come to?

Jaune turned around while still illuminating the path in front of them with the torch in his hand, "Well this seems like just as good a place as any to hide a relic. Maybe some ancient weapon used in the war? Or some food? I'm pretty hungry."

Pyrrha continued to look around at the barely visible cave drawings lined along the rocks. She continued a few more feet before speaking up, "Jaune, we should probably go back outside. If we haven't found anything yet then this might not be the right place."

"Pyrrha..." Jaune looked back at her with a pained expression before motioning to the torch in his hand, "I made a torch. A torch! This is-like-the most useful I've been in the whole test! Just let me enjoy it a little longer and we can-"

Jaune stumbled and dropped the torch in a murky puddle, instantly extinguishing the flame.

Everything was pitch black.

Pyrrha: "Do you feel that?"

Jaune: "Soul crushing humiliation and regret? Yeah...been feeling that a lot lately."

Pyrrha: "No, not that. I feel something...something...warm..."

A giant yellow glow brightened the pitch black space, making the two students-in-training squint their eyes. They looked forward and saw a strange oblong orb as the source of the light.

Jaune and Pyrrha stepped forward while examining the anomaly.

Pyrrha tilted her head, "What is it?"

"Maybe the relic? It's...pretty."

"Beautiful."

"I feel warm. And happy."

"It's calming."

Jaune reached up to touch it but the light flinched back at his touch. He smiled a little, "Oh, I'm gonna getcha! I'm gonna getcha! I-got it!" Jaune jumped forward and wrapped his arms around the strange light source.

But then he was slowly lifted off his feet and several feet into the air. Jaune hung there, still attached to the light, before eight beady, menacing red eyes opened in front of him.

He shrunk, "Good feeling's gone."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The white-haired heiress stood still for a moment while looking at the directions they could take. She started weighing her options, "We should...go this way!"

Ruby sighed from her spot on the ground, "We already went that way."

"Right. I knew that." She stepped back to her original spot and looked around again, "That way!"

"Already did."

"Okay! Give me a minute!" Weiss rubbed her temple and tried to figure out a way for them to find the site as quickly as possible.

Ruby stood back up and dusted off her combat skirt, "Weiss, I think we're lost."

"We're not lost! We're just...I know we can find our way out of here if I can think for a moment."

Ruby tried to reassure her partner, "It's okay to admit it Weiss. Just let me help you and I bet we can work this out."

"I don't need your help." Weiss argued while trying to concentrate on finding their way back, "Lord knows it wasn't any help when you were just running around without a care in the world earlier."

Ruby scrunched her face in annoyance, "Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what I was doing while fighting, but you can't keep holding that against me! It's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair! And if you want to make it out of this then you need to stop acting like a rowdy little child!"

Ruby fumed, "Well then you need to stop acting like a prissy-up bossy pants!"

"How dare you! I am not a prissy-up bossy pants!"

"You so are!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Ah!" Weiss threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "You're such a brat! Why did you even come to this school?!"

Ruby stood there for a moment and showed a slightly hurt expression before shaking her head. She steeled her eyes, "Y'know, I didn't ask to be brought here early. Do you know how scared I am coming to the school of my dreams and feeling like I'm not wanted? I'm terrified. I feel like I'm gonna throw up. But...even if you hate me and we can't get along, I'm not gonna stop trying to be your partner. Because I promised myself no matter what happens, I'd become a Huntress and pass Beacon."

Weiss looked at Ruby as the hooded girl walked over to a large tree and clapped her hands, "If you don't wanna work with me then that's fine. I'll figure a way out of here." She jumped on the base of the tree and started to shimmy her way up to the top.

Weiss watched in surprise as the red clad girl made her way up the tree. She looked around and tried to figure a better way to find their destination before looking back at her determined partner. She sighed before running up to the tree and started making her way up, "Hold on! Don't do this by yourself!"

The two mismatched girls continued climbing up to the top of the tree. Weiss struggled, "C-can you hold on for a moment! I'm not as fast at climbing these as you!"

Ruby yelled down, "What?! Haven't you ever climbed a tree before?!"

"No! As a matter of fact I haven't!"

"Well it's easy! Deep breath! One foot in front of the other! Oh, and don't look down! You fall if you look down!"

Weiss panicked and held herself even closer to the tree.

The two students made their way to a more concentrated, bushier top of the tree. Ruby looked around in every direction to try and spot a difference, "I don't see anything!"

Weiss shook her head, "I'm having second thoughts about this!"

"Don't worry! You'll be fine!" Ruby squinted her eyes, "Hey! There aren't so many trees over there! Let's try that spot!"

Weiss clung to the prickly pines even tighter, "This was a bad idea! Why did we have to climb to the very top?!"

"We can see everything from up here! And the pine tree is easy to hold on to!"

"But why is the top of this tree a pine tree?! None of the other trees have anything else like this?!"

Ruby thought for a moment, "Um...I don't know! That's a good question!"

"And the pines are black!"

"And feathery!"

"And warm!"

Ruby gulped for a moment before looking down, "Weiss, maybe we should climb down?! Before anything...Weiss?"

Ruby looked down to see the white-haired heiress looking up at her with stark white, horrified eyes. She slowly pointed up and Ruby followed her gaze. She looked up just in time to catch the gaze of two slitted, menacing red eyes along a white beak.

The girls froze in fear as the giant Nevermore they were clinging to started to unfurl its wings. The Grimm spread out to its full wingspan and started gathering a gust to lift itself.

"Birdie no."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_In case I didn't convey it clearly or it wasn't obvious yet, Naruto's weapons incorporate swords and wires as strings. Making his fighting style elaborate and cool but a pain to write. Oh well, I still think it's cool. When he holds his blades between his knuckles, just imagine it like Masamune from the Sengoku Basara series._**

**_Or Wolverine. Whichever is clearer._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	5. Final Play

Hunting or Bust

Dust 5: Final Play

Okay, this was the first time I had ever did such a big fighting scene with multiple people battling at the same time. Please tell me if you guys enjoyed.

I didn't say anything about this last time so I'll take a moment to say this now:

X-RAY AND VAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAV!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

And he had thought that riding an airship was the most nauseating experience there possibly was.

Boy was he wrong.

To his credit he had been holding onto this stinger much longer than most people probably would.

Jaune screamed, "PYRRHA! I DON'T FEEL SO GOOD!"

His red-headed partner was slowly stepping back with _Miló_ out to protect herself as the hulking Death Stalker shifted towards her. The giant scorpion Grimm let out low but loud hisses as it snipped at Pyrrha, waving its tail and subsequently Jaune around over its head.

Pyrrha held her sword out in a protective stance as she tried to calm her endangered partner, "Jaune! Don't worry! Stay calm!"

"TOO LATE!" Jaune's face was turning paler by the moment before he yelled, "CAN AURA DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?!"

"N-no, but it's all right. Just keep a firm grip and don't panic, and everything should be-"

The Death Stalker stopped moving and just let Jaune hang from its stinger. It then pulled its tail back as far as possible before flicking forward at breakneck speed.

Jaune was flung off and over the trees, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"

Jaune disappeared over the tree tops while his screaming voice faded with his form. Pyrrha watched her partner disappear in horror before she realized she was currently all alone in a small space with a massive Grimm.

She giggled nervously before sprinting towards the trees and away from the monster as quickly as possible.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The four First Years gathered at the temple heard several shrill screams carry over the forest. Tenten looked around, "Did you guys hear that?"

"Sounds like someone's in trouble."

Yang pocketed their chess piece and cracked her knuckles, "We gotta help! Sasuke, you guys go that way, look for someone in trouble! Blake, you come with me and-Blake what's wrong?"

Her black-clad partner was standing in place, a look of confusion over her face while she stared up at the sky. Without looking at Yang, she pointed up at the sky and brought their attention to the creature flying overhead.

They all looked up in time to spot the massive Nevermore flying over them as it let out a shrill shriek that pierced their ears. The creature had feathers that were darker than the blackest night and a skull covered in a long bone-like beak.

Tenten took a step back before pulling out a knife in preparation to fight, "What the heck is a Nevermore doing here?"

While the massive Grimm flew above them, it steered right and a small red dot fell off its side. The students all watched the little dot fall off the Grimm and watched in confusion, "Is that-"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnggggggg~, catcH ME!" Ruby screamed as she came towards the ground while waving her arms rapidly.

"Ruby?!" Yang yelled before she ran forward and opened her arms to catch her little sister, "I got you!"

Ruby was falling towards Yang's open arms for a safe landing...until a screaming Jaune came flying out of nowhere and slammed into the hooded girl until they both landed in a tree off to the side.

Yang was left standing there with a blank look on her face. Sasuke looked at the tree they had flown into and raised an eyebrow, "Was that Jaune? Where did he come from?"

Blake walked up to her partner, "Was your sister riding a Nevermore?"

Before Yang could answer, there was a few booms before a loud roar coming from the side. They all looked to see a large Ursa come running out and stand up before several pinks blasts exploded on its back.

It fell forward dead and revealed the laughing, peppy orange-haired girl on its back. She jumped on it some more to try and start it back up before moaning sadly, "Ah, it's broken." She jumped off the Grimm before patting the corpse's head, "Good boy."

A moment later, a young man clad in a green outfit with a pink highlight in his hair emerged from the forest. He was breathing heavily and placed a hand on the Ursa's dead body for support, "N-Nora, don't run off like that anymore. We need to stick together-Nora?"

The hyper ginger had already disappeared from the Ursa's back, surprising everyone that didn't notice her quick movement. They looked behind them to see Nora already leaning over to look all the chess pieces closely. She hummed to herself until she spotted the gold rook piece and snatched it up without a second thought.

She balanced it on her head and danced, "~I'm queen of the castle~. ~I'm queen of the castle~. ~I'm queen of the-"

"NORA!"

She stopped dance and the chess piece fell off her head before she laughed, "Sorry Ren. But look, we got the little rock thing!"

The others just stared at her before Blake spoke, "Did she ride in on an Ursa?"

Sasuke shook his head, "What the heck is going on?"

"Ruby~!"

They looked back up at the Nevermore and noticed a small white dot in the collection of its black feathers. The little white speck yelled in a shrill voice, "When I get down from here I am going to give you such a stern talking to!"

"Weiss?!"

"Is she still holding on to that Nevermore?"

**"Ssssssssshishhhhhhhhh."**

They all heard a blaring hiss reach their ears and looked towards the other side of the forest. Pyrrha came running out desperately as the trees behind her were knocked down when the massive scorpion Grimm came chasing after her. The deadly beast had old and chipped bone armor and was snapping at the girl with its giant pincers.

She yelled, "Jaune!"

Jaune answered from where he hung in the tree, "Pyrrha!"

Tenten's jaw dropped, "Pyrrha?!"

"Is that girl getting chased by a Death Stalker?"

Nora bounced in place, "That looks like fun! I wanna try next!"

Ruby jumped down from the tree and came over to where everyone was standing in front of the temple. She watched the chaos happening in front of her, "Woah, what happened?"

Tenten looked down at the shorter girl, "Pandemonium."

Ruby blinked and then looked at all the gathered students before panicking, "Wait, where's Weiss?!"

They all pointed up and she looked to see her partner still clinging to the Nevermore.

"-aaaaaaaaaAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone looked to the left and watched as Kiba came sprinting out of the trees for dear life. He stopped and looked behind him for a moment before diving towards the temple for safety, "HOLY CRAP!"

A giant Beowolf came running out of the forest, long spires of bone coming off its limbs and along its face. And unlike regular Beowolves, this Alpha Wolf's hind legs were more pronounced and it was far more accustomed to staying on all four legs for speed. And the massive beast was howling angrily while trying to throw off the whiskered teen that had secured himself on the back of its neck.

"Naruto?!"

Sasuke rubbed his temple, "God dammit."

It started bucking and swinging around while Naruto held on for dear life, "STOP! I'M TRYING TO PROVE A POI-OH CRAP!"

The Alpha Wolf charged forward through the clearing and passed alongside the Death Stalker as it chased Pyrrha, Weiss still screaming while clinging to the Nevermore in the sky.

Blake watched the boy still clinging to the wolf Grimm, "Did that boy come riding in on an Alpha Wolf?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" They all jumped back as Yang screamed at the top of her lungs, fire bursting off her form and her lilac eyes changing to deep red. She screamed, "Enough! Stop it! Just stop! Would everyone just calm down for two freakin' seconds before anything else crazy happens!"

...

...

They all stayed quiet after Yang's little outburst and just gave the fiery blond a few seconds to calm down. Sasuke looked back over to the clearing before walking over and moving Yang over to her right. He walked back to his spot and gently pulled Ruby closer to her left.

"-AHHHHHH!" Naruto's body came soaring between the two girls until he broke through the ruins behind them. He screamed, "OW!"

Yang groaned and hung her head while Blake patted her back.

Meanwhile, Kiba grumbled on the ground and rubbed his head. He felt someone grab his arm and help him back to his feet. He groaned, "Thanks."

He looked up to see the same quirky orange-haired girl that terrorized him yesterday, "Hi Guy Who Doesn't Not Like Dogs!"

Kiba frowned, "Ugh. Hey Nora." He turned and looked to the boy besides him with a nod, "Ren."

"Kiba."

"You." Yang pointed at the tattooed boy, "Alpha Wolf. Screaming. Naruto. Explain."

"Me and him were looking for this place after helping the little kid and her annoying partner. But Naruto killed a Beowolf that was stalking us and that pissed off the rest of its pack." Kiba dusted off his animal paw jacket and pants, "We held them off for awhile until their boss came and started attacking us instead."

Blake took a moment to look between the large Grimm that was still trying to mend the wound on the back of its neck and the boy that was still buried under all the rubble. She asked inquisitively, "Then why was he riding it?"

Kiba thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "It's all kind of a blur. There was some yelling, some arguing, I think there was a bet, and then I was being chased by that thing while that idiot rode on its back."

Sasuke just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He silently wondered if he should count his blessings that this new guy would have to deal with Naruto's crazy and spontaneous actions from now on.

"RUBY~!"

Everybody looked back up to see that Weiss had now moved herself down to the Nevermore's talons. She was hanging off the end and yelled at the top of her lungs, "This was a terrible idea! Why did you let go?!"

Ruby cupped her hands, "Why didn't you?!"

Tenten: "Should we help her?"

Blake: "She's gonna fall."

Ruby: "She'll be fine, right?"

Sasuke: "If she doesn't panic then she'll find a way out of this."

Yang: "She's panicking."

Ren: "She's falling."

Jaune had finally dislodged himself from a branch he was hanging on and rubbed his sore arms and legs. He walked to the edge of the branch and looked up just in time to see the beautiful but cold heiress from earlier falling from the sky.

He grinned when he realized the situation playing in front of him.

Weiss scrunched her face and prepared for the painful landing she was going to feel until she felt a pair of arms catch under her. She opened her eyes to see Jaune jumping in to save her with a warming smile, "Hey, it looked like you could use some help. I hope you don't mind that I dropped in."

Weiss blinked in surprise, "Wow. I...I didn't know you could fly, Jaune."

"I do what now?"

The fantasy they found themselves in disappeared and they realized they were hanging in the air. Jaune let out a tiny whimper before they both fell back towards the ground while screaming. Jaune landed squarely on his back as Weiss landed on his stomach. Jaune groaned painfully before he laid unmoving.

Weiss stood up and dusted off her skirt before walking away coldly, "Thanks for the help Jaune."

He coughed, "My insides. They've become outside goop."

There was a metal hum and Pyrrha was knocked over towards the rest of the gathered students. Yang clapped, "Yay, the gang's all here! So, who wants to die first?"

"Not just yet." Ruby pulled _Crescent Rose_ off her back and gripped it tightly before charging forward at the closest Grimm, the Death Stalker. She cheered, "Yahoo!"

She swung the scythe and it was lodged between the pincers of the scorpion. She smiled happily until she realized that her weapon was stuck and incapable of pulling away. The Alpha Wolf jumped over the armored Grimm and swiped at the girl in front of it, causing her to stumble back after pulling herself free.

"Ruby!" Yang ran towards her sister as some of the other Grimm started pouncing at her. Sasuke, Tenten, Blake, Kiba, and Nora followed behind as Ruby looked up just in time to see the Death Stalker's stinger come down on her.

But before it could strike her, a wall of ice popped up between the hooded girl and the deadly creatures. Weiss appeared by Ruby's side and grabbed her under the arm before a Glyph appeared under her feet and they rocketed back towards the temple.

They were in a safe spot away from the Grimm where Weiss placed Ruby back on the ground. Ruby looked up at the older girl as she shook her head, "This is what I was talking about! You are too impulsive! It's all fine and dandy to be confident but charging into a fight like that is just sheer arrogance! You see why I can't take you seriously?!"

Ruby looked up at the white-clad girl and felt her expression fall at the truth behind her words now.

"But you're right."

Ruby looked back up to see Weiss with an apologetic expression, "You're right. I haven't even bothered to give you a chance to help. I just assumed the worst because of your screw ups. Your many...many screw ups." The usually haughty and refined look on her face softened as she looked down at the girl, "We both have a lot to work on if we want to be partners at school..."

She offered her hand and gave a small smile, "So can we work together and put everything behind us?"

Ruby looked at Weiss in surprise...

Before she instantly wrapped her arms and legs around the heiress and gave her a huge hug, "Weiss! I knew your heart wasn't completely frozen over!"

Weiss sputtered, "W-what does that mean?!"

Immediately, Yang came flying in and wrapped her arms around both Ruby and Weiss, "I was so worried about you! Don't ever hang on to a giant Nevermore ever again!"

Ruby hugged even tighter, "I missed you too Yang! I promise I won't!"

"O-okay, that's enough!" Weiss whined uncomfortably between the two sisters, "That's enough with the hugging!"

Pyrrha was assisted to her feet by Tenten and Ren while Jaune slowly made his way to the big group. All eleven First Years stood together and Ruby looked between them, "Is this everybody?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No. Still missing someone."

The pile of rubble behind them got tossed aside and Naruto walked out while coughing into his hand. He swung his arms in front of him while walking over to Kiba, "Uh. Okay Kiba, you were right, there wasn't a weak spot on the nape of the wolf's neck. Just a rumor."

They looked at him strangely, "You climbed on the back of a Grimm and slashed its neck to kill it because you heard a rumor?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "Seemed as good a place to kill one as any. Oh!" Naruto reached behind him and pulled out a chess pieces before tossing it to his partner, "Look what I got!"

Kiba caught it and looked it over. It was a bishop piece, and just like the others its bottom was gold plated. But unlike the others, the rest of its body was scarlet red. He smirked and held it up, "Awesome! We did it!"

The others looked at the odd piece and Blake spoke up, "Why is it a different color than ours?"

Naruto smiled, "Oh, that's because I pulled that one out of my spleen!"

Everyone's eyes widened and looked at the bandana wearing blond in shock. A few of them leaned back to see several splotches of blood all over the back of his vest. Kiba looked down at the piece in disgust, "Tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not. Actually, you might wanna give that back before you catch something."

Kiba gagged and tossed the bloody piece into Naruto's awaiting hand as Kiba wiped his hands on his jacket. Naruto pocketed the piece before looking back up, "So, can we all leave before the beasties come back?"

"Wait!" Jaune ran up the steps of the temple, "I still need to grab a piece!"

"Me too!" Ruby disappeared in a burst of speed and looked over the pieces attentively, "Which one do I get?!"

"The horsey Ruby!" Yang waved her piece over her head, "Get the horsey! It's adorable!"

Blake shook her head, not even bothering to correct her mistake anymore.

Ruby picked the knight while Jaune fumbled the rook in his hand. They both looked at each other and nodded before pocketing their respective piece.

They heard a loud crash and looked over to see the protective ice barrier was destroyed and the Grimm were making their way over. Pyrrha stepped back, "I think it's time to go!

"RUN!"

All twelve trainees sprinted away from the temple and into the forest. They ran as fast as they could to try and put distance between them and the hulking Grimms.

**"AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

**"Ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhish!"**

They looked back to see the Death Stalker and Alpha Wolf barreling through the trees after them. Obviously, it wasn't going to be as easy as they thought.

**"CAWWWWWWWWWWWW!"**

Looking up, the Nevermore could be spotted soaring over them and following their escape route.

"Uh, those things aren't giving up!"

"Keep moving!"

The students ran through the tree line and ended up in another set of ruins. Along the sides were large pillars holding up platforms and a massive structure built alongside the cliff that bridged the two plateaus.

While the First Years ran by the pillars to escape from sight, the Nevermore came flying over them and perched itself at the top of the highest point on the structure. It spread its wings, **"CAWWWW!"**

The students all stopped while staring up at the massive crow. They ducked behind the pillars with their partners and peeked around the corner to spot the flying Grimm remain on its perch. Yang, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Sasuke, and Tenten underneath the left set with the rest underneath the right.

Yang yelled so everyone could hear her, "I don't think that big guy is gonna let us go anytime soon!"

Pyrrha looked back and saw the scorpion break through the trees, "The Death Stalker has our flank!"

The Grimm stayed in place and just watched the young Hunters try to hide from their sights. The students waited for the monsters to make the first move but were confused that they didn't seem to jump at the chance to attack.

Ruby looked between the patient monsters, "What are they doing?!"

Ren peeked around the corner, "They're waiting for something!"

"What?!"

Naruto finished tying his weapons together and narrowed his eyes, "An opportunity."

There was a loud slam on top of the right roof of pillars and everyone on the left side looked up to see the Alpha Wolf perched on top. It snarled its large teeth until it threw its head back and took a deep breath...

**"AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

The beast howled and deafened everyone in the vicinity as a massive torrent of wind started to blow across the left side of the ruins. The students tried to stand against the powerful gust but Jaune and Yang were blown out of their cover and into the open.

Nora opened an eye to see the others in danger and stopped covering her ears. She pulled _Magnhild_ off her back and stepped out of cover to fire Dust grenades at the giant Beowolf. The Grimm jumped back out of the line of fire long enough to stop the wind and painful shriek.

The Nevermore raised its wings and flapped them forward until dozens of razor sharp feathers flew down towards the ground.

Tenten saw this happen and threw her hands out at Yang and Jaune, two metal chains coming out of her sleeves and wrapping around their arms. She yanked back quickly and pulled them into cover as the black feathers littered the ground around them.

"NORA!"

The peppy girl looked up in time to see several sharp feathers fly towards her. Ren jumped out of cover and pulled _StormFlower_ out of his sleeves. He stood defensively in front of his partner and deflected several feathers with his weapons and Aura.

The feathers stopped flying down and Kiba ran out to look up at the wolf perched over them. He gritted his teeth while pulling _Crimson Fang_ off his belt, the tonfa mechanically extending along his arms.

He activated his Semblance, his hair and teeth growing spikier and more pronounced. He lowered himself on all fours and punched the ground, rocketing himself up overhead and punching the Alpha Wolf's nose, "WRAAAAAA!"

The Grimm stumbled back as the brown-haired boy landed in a crouch in front of it. The wolf spun around to attack with its tail but Kiba spun over the attack with amazing agility. He started charging forward to hit the beast but whenever he got close the monster would swipe at him with its claws. The Feral boy continued to back up and dodge as the Grimm attacked to kill.

Ren helped Nora up to her feet as the Death Stalker came scurrying its way over to attack them. But as its pincer stretched out to crush them, six shorts swords flew into the ground in front of it and pulled the whiskered blond in to guard them. He gripped _Stormer_ in his right hand while his _Gatling_ blades rested along the back of his arms. He swung his long blade and ten smaller swords immediately followed it, knocking the Death Stalker's massive appendages back.

He then slid in closer and started swiping his sword and hands in every directions, causing all of his swords to dance and slash the hulking beast in front of him. But even with the speed and power of his multi-blade slash, the Grimm's armor showed no signs of breaking.

The others came running out of cover and watched two of the Grimm being held off but not showing any signs of defeat. Yang scowled, "What do we do now?"

Jaune watched as Naruto and that brown-haired guy fought back their enemies with assistance from Ren and Nora. He looked back and watched the massive crow start stretching its wings again for a second attack. He gulped before grabbing _Crocea Mors_, "Pyrrha!"

The scarlet-haired warrior looked over to her partner as a determination glowed in his eyes, "You're good with that rifle, right? Hold off that bird as long as you can and make sure it doesn't throw any more feathers!" Pyrrha nodded and her spear came down to her arms before changing into a rifle. He looked over to Ruby, "You got the sniper! Make sure you can use it! Anyone else that can shoot far, go hold off that thing as long as possible! Nora, you too!"

Ruby and Weiss looked between each other and nodded before they joined Pyrrha and ran over to the edge of the bridge to fire off their weapons. Nora stopped firing her grenade launcher before saluting to the blond and sprinting over to the cliff side.

Jaune looked up at Kiba holding off the Alpha Wolf, "That thing's too big to fight on a small surface like that! Anyone who can fight close to it, get up there and show it what you can do!"

Yang gave a cocky grin and let her gauntlets spread over her arms. She pounded them together before running over to jump on the platform. Sasuke and Tenten shared a look before running over to join the close-quarters fight.

Jaune took a deep breath before looking over to Blake, "We're handling the ugly one!"

They ran over and joined the Death Stalker fight as Naruto and Ren were running around its legs and slicing them. Naruto's blades swung around him like a protective barrier while Ren made swift strikes to its joints. The monster squealed before Ren came over to its face and started shooting at its eyes, causing it to cry in pain.

The Grimm scampered back and shrieked in pain as Naruto came running over to Ren's side. The Death Stalker growled lowly before spinning around with unnatural speed and swung its tail at them just in time for Jaune to dive forward and block the attack with his shield.

The blond knight was sent flying back and slammed into Naruto as Blake watched them get knocked over. She pulled out her metal sheathe and ninjato before sprinting forward to attack. The Death Stalker saw her charge forward and caught her in-between its pincer but her body faded into nothing and she appeared in front of its eyes.

She started swiping her heavy sheathe and sharp ninjato against the creature's exposed eyes before it started trying to crush her again. She expertly started cartwheeling away from its attack and stood far enough away that she changed her blade into its pistol form. She and Ren started shooting at the creature's most vulnerable spots until it jerked forward and pierced the ground with its stinger, blowing them back with the force behind the attack.

Blake groaned and stood back up with a shake of her head. Before she could make another move, the bandana wearing boy came running over to her side and pulled the long black cloth attached to her weapon out of her hand. He ran forward before looking back and grinning, conveying a message to her that he had a plan.

Blake immediately realized what he was planning and nodded before bracing herself.

With a might roar, Naruto pulled the cloth over his head and yanked the bow wearing girl off the ground and into the air. Blake gave a loud yell before landing on the Death Stalker's head and slamming her sheathe down to attack.

She wrapped the ribbon around her hand and pulled Naruto forward to follow. The whiskered man landed on the Grimm's head and smirked before unwrapping the ribbon from his hand. He threw his arms up and his blades stayed over his head with help from his wires.

He gripped his fists and all of the compartments opened on the swords.

"WRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Naruto started punching the Grimm's armor and dozens of hollow-point arrows started impacting the same area around them. He roared loudly as the monster squealed and hissed in pain with the marathon of powerful strikes hitting its head. The Death Stalker swung its tail over its head to hit the two teenagers standing on it but Naruto wrapped an arm around the beauty's waist and jumped.

They landed in the grass away from the Grimm before separating from each other. Blake wiped her shorts before nodding at Naruto, "Thanks."

He nodded back, "No problem."

Pyrrha, Ruby, Nora, and Weiss were all firing projectiles at the crow Grimm as explosions littered its massive black wings. Pyrrha and Ruby fired their long-range weapons and Weiss started firing as many projectiles of fire and ice as she possibly could.

Nora had her tongue stuck out happily as she fired grenades.

The Nevermore spread out its wings and started lifting off the middle spire. It turned and started flying over the massive trench while screeching. Weiss continued to use her Glyphs and Dust to attack before speaking up, "Are we actually doing anything to hurt it?!"

"I hope so!" Ruby yelled back as she kept pulling the slide and trigger of her sniper, "I'm almost out of rounds!"

Pyrrha lowered her rifle and shook her head, "This isn't working! Its body is too strong for just our bullets to pierce it! We need something more!"

Nora thought for a moment before grinning knowingly. She spun her grenade launcher and it extended into a massive war hammer. She slammed it into the ground and pushed a large chunk of rock out of the earth. She jumped to the side before pulling the hammer back and smiling, "FORE!"

She swatted the massive chunk of rock out of the ground and it flew dozens of feet into the air. Before finally slamming into the Nevermore's back, **"CAWWWWWWWW!"**

The other girls blinked before looking at Nora in surprise as she hefted her hammer over her shoulder. Ruby looked over at her with a slacked jaw, "That...was awesome."

Pyrrha nodded, "Quite ingenious."

Nora waved off their compliments, "Ah, it was no big deal."

"I agree." Weiss pointed upwards with a displeased tone, "It's circling around."

Recovering from the sudden heavy hit, the Nevermore let out another shrieking cry before diving down towards the group of ladies. It flapped its wings and another wave of giant black feathers started flying down at them.

The girls dived and rolled out of the way as the feathers littered the ground around them. Weiss rolled onto her knees before swiping her rapier and pointing her index and middle finger up at the Grimm.

A silver Glyph appeared around the Nevermore's neck before turning black and holding it in place, its body jerking around trying to escape. Pyrrha and Nora looked between each other and nodded. Pyrrha gripped _Miló_ as it extended into its spear form and she hefted it onto her shoulder. Nora pulled her hammer back and slammed into the bottom of the spear as it shot off towards the captured crow.

The red and gold spear pierced through the Grimm's chest and blew out the other side. It let out a shriek of pure agony as it finally broke out of its constraints and soared upwards. The girls watched it fly while Pyrrha effortlessly caught her spear again.

They injured it. But it still wasn't even close to keeling over.

The Alpha Wolf swiped at Kiba and knocked him over the platform as Yang came charging in with fists at the ready. She started throwing punch after punch at the massive monster's jaw but the beast kept dodging by a hair's breadth.

A metal chain wrapped around one of its legs and neck before pulling it together. The wolf's snarled as Tenten struggled to keep it pinned. She looked at her partner, "Go!"

Sasuke pulled his sword out and started swinging down on the wolf's head, smacking it around wildly. As it tried to bite down on him, Yang came in from the side and slammed her explosive fist into its cheek. Sasuke and Yang started trading blows against the monster's face with sword slashes and powerful punches.

The Grimm growled angrily and pulled on the chain before spinning around and sending Tenten flying over the side. It broke the chain and lurched forward to chomp down on the two offensive teens. Sasuke and Yang jumped back before cocking their weapons and shooting the exposed body of the monster.

The Grimm became furious and spun to slam them away with its tail. Sasuke was pushed back but Yang braced herself and caught the fluffy black tail in her arms. The beast struggled to pull away but Yang yelled and kept herself firmly planted in the ground.

Kiba came jumping back over the side with an animalistic roar and slammed his fists down on the wolf's nose. He vaulted back in front of the large monster and sent a barrage of rocket-powered punches into its stomach.

**"AROOOOOOOOOOO!"**

The large Beowolf smacked Kiba away and lifted Yang off the platform before flicking her off its tail. The Grimm growled before looking below the platform to try and find another victim to terrorize. Its eyes focused on the white-haired girl attacking the crow and started snarling its teeth.

Sasuke lifted himself off the ground with a groan just in time to see the Alpha Wolf jumping back to the ground. It roared and charged over to the cliff side towards the four distracted girls and the heiress standing the furthest back. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and his pupils changed to deep red before bracing himself for to move.

The wolf ran and lunged forward to bite down on the unsuspecting ponytailed girl. But as it chomped down, it bit down on nothing but thin air.

"W-what are you doing?!"

They all looked towards the bridge connecting the cliff side and suspended structure over the trench. Standing a good distance in on the bridge was Sasuke with Weiss cradled in his arms in a bridal carry. He yelled to his surprised comrades, "The Alpha is closing in! Move in and cover the back!"

They turned around and saw the Alpha perched on all fours and roaring at them. Ruby yelped before changing her weapon into its scythe form and swinging it around her shoulder. The beast lunged forward at her but she swatted its claws away with _Crescent Rose_. Her, Nora, and Pyrrha all started to retreat across the bridge while shooting at the approaching beast.

Weiss started squirming around in his arms before being lowered back to her feet. She wiped off her skirt and looked up at the raven-haired boy to scold him on grabbing her and question how he appeared over here so quickly. But when she looked up at him and the serious look in his eyes, she froze before quietly muttering, "Thank you for the assistance."

Tenten helped Yang stand back up and shake her head before looking over to see her little sister being forced back by the Grimm. She panicked and ran over to help, "RUBY!"

The others looked over and Jaune saw his partner in trouble, "Pyrrha!"

Naruto, Blake, and Ren took a moment to see where everyone was gathering but they were knocked aside by the Death Stalker charging forward to the cliff side. They stood back up before immediately charging after the Grimm to stop it from surrounding their comrades.

Ren leapt up and grabbed the stinger before he started stabbing the joint between the tail and the stinger. The scorpion started squealing and shrieking in pain as Ren continued stabbing the weak area. He grit his teeth before deciding to shoot rounds into the exposed injury.

**"SHISHHHHHHHHHH!"**

The massive Grimm started running into the pillars while wailing in pain. The others kept sprinting towards the bridge to help their friends hold off the predators. Some of them finally ran onto the bridge and pulled out their weapons while surrounding the Alpha Wolf in a pincer formation.

The giant wolf Grimm lowered itself closer to the ground...before vaulting high over their heads and further into the bridged structure just as the Nevermore flew down and broke the bridge with its wing.

The bridge started to collapse, the rubble falling into the near bottomless trench beneath them. The students realized what was happening and started running to a side that was still holding together.

But in the pandemonium Yang, Tenten, and Nora had been caught in the destruction and were falling with the debris. Pyrrha saw Nora sliding off a stray boulder and jumped off the side to grab the hammer wielding girl. Naruto and Blake looked over the side to see the girls falling through the air and into the abyss.

Blake jumped over the side and threw her _Gambol Shroud_ in its sickle form to stick into another point in the temple. She gripped the black ribbon wrapped around her arm and swung down just in time to catch Yang's hand and save her from the fall. They swung around a pillar and flew up to land on the center platform besides Ruby, Weiss, and Sasuke.

Naruto extended the wire holding _Gatling Stormer_ along his arms and launched the largest sword across the gap and into the bottom pillar. He pulled the wires and they made a jump post they could vault off from. Tenten caught a hold of the wires and launched herself onto the main platform as Pyrrha grabbed Nora and ran along the wires back onto the cliff.

Pyrrha landed in a crouch before standing back up and lowered the shorter girl back onto the ground. Nora cheered, "Woohoo! Let's do it again! This time with blindfolds!"

The group on the main structure of the steeple looked across the gap at their rescued comrades. Yang sighed in relief, "I guess we can take a sec to breathe now."

They felt a hefty wave of hot air bear down from behind them. Slowly, the six teenagers turned around to see the Alpha Wolf make its way around the center spire and stare down on them with its red eyes.

Ruby gulped, "That's a big breath."

It swung its paw down to crush them as Sasuke dashed forward to block the strike with his sheathe. He knocked the claw back and swiped the paw while Tenten jumped off his back and threw dozens of swords and knives at the Grimm's face. Ruby dashed under its belly and swiped its legs out from underneath as Blake jumped up and bashed its head in with both of her blades.

It roared and spun on its paws to swipe them away from its face. They jumped back and ran around the middle spire to get some space on another larger bridge that led to the huge plateau in front of them. Yang stopped running and swung her arms down to cock her gauntlets before rapidly punching at the oncoming wolf. Flaming shotgun blasts started littering the massive monster's body as it roared in pain and howled.

Weiss took advantage of the Grimm's hesitation to get into her fencing stance and dash forward with the extra power of her Glyph. With the enhanced power of her strike, the short girl was able to completely blow the Alpha Wolf off its paws and against the spire behind it.

Sasuke leapt up onto a pillar before dashing down and pressing the trigger of his sheathe, pulling his sword out at amazing speeds and slashing the massive monster multiple times in an instant. He landed on the ground before pulling the trigger again and firing the shotgun end of his sheathe into the monster's exposed neck.

The beast fell to its stomach, unmoving, and appeared like it had made its last stand. The students all slowly prepared their weapons and stayed on guard while glaring at the creature. It immediately leapt up and knocked the Uchiha and Schnee back several yards before roaring as loudly as possible.

They were going to need to do something much bigger if they wanted to end this monster once and for all.

Ren had been holding onto the Death Stalker's stinger while it thrashed around wildly like a bull. While he held on tightly, he continued to shoot at the joint connecting the deadly stinger and the annoying tail. Until finally he ripped through and punctured most of the fibers holding it together and the yellow stinger was barely kept attached.

The Grimm scorpion let out a ghastly wail before slamming its tail on the ground and pinning the boy with the pink highlight underneath. Nora screamed, "REN!"

Ren coughed and sat up as the Grimm turned around and hissed at him menacingly, its mandibles shaking violently. But before it could start chewing on the young man, Kiba came flying down from overhead and slammed his fists down on its eyes. It's back legs flew up from the massive power from his slam before he grabbed under its mandibles and tossed it onto its back.

While the monster flailed around on the ground, Kiba grabbed Ren by his collar before dashing over to the rest of their comrades. The two young men appeared besides the rest of their friends before taking in deep breathes. Ren sat up on the ground before looking at his savior, "Thanks for the help Kiba."

Kiba panted, "Used Semblance...too long...gonna..keel over..."

Naruto patted his partner on the back before looking back over at the Grimm as it finally rolled over onto its legs. He glared, "That Nevermore's still flying over us and we gotta help the others with the wolf! Can't we break this thing's armor with something?!"

Jaune looked between everyone around him and back at the scorpion looking their way. That armor was tough but it didn't cover its whole body. It couldn't stand back up after falling on its back. And its stinger was barely still attached after Ren had injured it.

Idea.

"We don't have to break its armor!" The others all looked towards Jaune as he came up with a plan, "We just need to expose its belly and get that stinger! Pyrrha, you and I will cut that thing off! Naruto, you and Kiba have to flip it over somehow!" He started moving forward, "Nora, when you see a chance, take it!"

They watched Jaune dart forward while yelling as his partner chased after him, "Jaune!"

Jaune yelled wildly as the Death Stalker saw him coming and raised its pincer. It swiped and Jaune blocked it with his shield while flying backwards. He rolled on the ground a few times until he finally landed on his knees and held the shield close to his back as a vaulting point.

Pyrrha's eyes widened before she finally realized what he was planning. _Miló_ and _Akoúo_ came to her hands and she jumped off his shield before cutting off the last fibers attaching the stinger to the tail.

**"SHHIISHHHHHHH!"**

Naruto tossed two of his smaller blades to his partner and they jumped apart as the wires tightened. They roared and charged forward as they caught the Grimm's appendages and body in the steel trap. They yelled and with a burst of strength pushed forward and flung the monster up in the air.

Jaune slid forward and bounced the severed stinger off his shield before Pyrrha kicked it back to Nora. The crazy orange-haired girl had her hammer pulled back and grinned before jumping and batting the severed appendage with her full force.

The stinger flew at extraordinary speeds over their heads before barreling through the Death Stalker's chest and out the other side. The Grimm fell to the earth dead and its legs curled up in the air unmoving, a massive hole through its entire body.

It was dead.

They had killed an old, experienced, very powerful Grimm. And very effectively.

**"CAWWWWWWWW!"**

**"AROOOOOOOOO!"**

Right. This still wasn't over.

The six of them all ran over to the cliff side and watched as their friends fought off the Alpha Wolf on the constricted space while the Nevermore flew overhead.

The gap was too big and they couldn't help from here.

Naruto looked from the steeple, up at the Nevermore flying in the sky, and back at his friends. He looked to Kiba, "How hard can you throw?"

Kiba caught his breath before grunting, "Pretty damn hard."

He yelled over the gap, "RUBY!" The hooded girl stopped fighting for a moment to look over to the cliff side as Naruto hollered, "WE'RE SETTING UP FOR THE KILL! GET READY!"

She was silent for a moment before showing a powerful determination and nodding in return.

Naruto looked up at the giant crow before gripping his fists and opening the blade compartments. He started firing arrows upward, "DON'T LET IT ESCAPE!"

Kiba, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora all joined and started shooting upwards at the black bird to keep it restricted in one place. It squawked and started jerking around wildly. Naruto and Kiba ran over to the side as Nora and Pyrrha followed. Pyrrha knelt down and held her shield over her head as Nora flipped her weapon and held the explosive end against the shield.

Naruto and Kiba stood besides each other before the brown-haired boy asked, "Have you done this before?"

"Nope."

Kiba grabbed his collar and they jumped on the hammer before being sent flying up in the air with an explosion. They squinted their eyes at the massive air pressure rushing across their faces before finally reaching their apex just above the Nevermore. Kiba activated his Semblance one more time and with the last of his strength he threw Naruto at full power.

Naruto thrusted his swords forward and _Stormer_ pierced into its back, _Gatling_ spreading outward and piercing through its wings. Naruto and the clipped Grimm fell down towards the center spire of the ruins.

Ruby saw them falling and yelled, "Okay guys, now!"

Blake and Sasuke sprinted forward with their weapons at the ready, his _Vollamond_ _Reflexion_ in his hand while she changed _Gambol Shroud_ into its sickle form. She took the first strike and started waving her mid-ranged weapon against its head and legs while he slid in close.

With four quick sheathe pulls, he sliced the powerful Grimm's stomach before leaping over its back and slashing it again. With the two warriors positioned, Tenten threw her hands out and chains shot out from her sleeves. Sasuke and Blake caught the chains and started to encircle the massive creature in a trap.

It howled and tried to escape but a white Glyph appeared under its feet before turning black and locking it in place. Yang cocked her gauntlets before running forward and slamming the monster across the head. She started throwing a barrage of devastating explosive punches and yelled loudly with each strike. She brought her fist down and a golden Glyph appeared beneath her before her power increased and she uppercutted the Grimm into the sky.

The Nevermore slammed into the Alpha Wolf before they were both pinned to the central spire. Naruto barreled through the monsters' chests and blasted through the concrete before landing on the platform and pulling his sword. The two Grimm started squawking and yelping in pain as they were locked together by the joint attack.

Weiss jumped to the edge of the incomplete bridge before waving her sword and creating another white Glyph. Ruby turned around and cocked _Crescent Rose_ before letting out a deep breath...

***Bang***

Ruby dashed forward with the extra power of her gun and leapt off the white Glyph to land on the side of the plateau. A series of silver Glyphs led up the side of the massive rock structure and Ruby ran upwards as quickly as possible as they held her against gravity. She finally reached the top of the plateau before jumping up and into the sky.

One last Glyph appeared in midair and Ruby's feet pressed against it before she launched herself off it like a missile.

She flew down at breakneck speed as she left a trail of petals behind her. She held her scythe over her head and spun forward until the colors of her skin, clothes, and weapon blurred into one huge color. A massive red circle with a layer of silver in the middle. The beautiful attack soared downwards at the two captured Grimm.

***SCHWIP***

The scythe slashed through both of their necks in an instant. Ruby finally stopped spinning and fell off the edge into the trench as the severed heads bounced off the steeple and down below.

Everyone stood in complete amazement and disbelief of what had just happened. It was over. They won.

Jaune fell on his butt while taking deep breathes. He felt his heart nearly pop from the adrenaline before wheezing out, "Wow. I can't believe that just happened."

He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder and pat his back. He looked up to see Pyrrha smile at him proudly before speaking, "We did it."

Nora and Ren were helping an exhausted Kiba up to his feet before the shorter girl cheered, "Yeah! We kick butt!"

Ren did the same with a small smile and Kiba weakly raised his fist with a grin, "Yipee."

On the other side of the gap, the other group looked at the bodies of their fallen enemies and felt a sense of relief wash over them. Tenten cheered and hugged her partner as Sasuke sheathed his weapon. Blake helped an exhausted Weiss up to her feet before they both smiled at their victory. Yang had her hands on her hips and was laughing until-

"Ruby!" Her heart sank as she realized her baby sister had fallen off the edge after the amazing attack. She ran over to the edge of the central platform and looked around for any sight of her little sister. The others soon realized their youngest member was missing as well and ran over to search for her. Yang cupped her hands over her mouth, "Ruby~!"

Yang's scream echoed through the massive trench.

"Yang~!"

Yang perked up when she heard Ruby's voice answer back. She looked around, "Where are you?!"

They all looked around until Jaune looked over the edge of the cliff and pointed down, "Over there!"

They all followed his finger and looked down below the platform. They spotted Naruto holding on to the pillar that held the entire structure up from the trench and wrapped around his neck was Ruby on his back. They both waved up at their friends before everyone cheered happily.

Naruto continued climbing up as Ruby spoke behind his ear, "Thanks for jumping over the side to catch me. I was kinda feeling dizzy after all the spinning and running."

"No problem." He answered before looking over his shoulder and smiling, "That was pretty badass what you did with the spinning and _Crescent Rose_ by the way. Hands down the coolest thing I've ever seen someone do before."

"Thanks." Ruby looked off to the side embarrassingly, "But that was the first time I've ever actually done something like that. Didn't even know I could do it."

"Yeah. You might not want to tell Yang that. She's gonna be pissed at you as is." Naruto mused while he continued grabbing cracks in the rocks and climbing up.

"You don't have to tell me."

Naruto and Ruby both laughed as they heard their friends continue cheering. Naruto smiled, "So I guess you and Weiss worked things out now, right?"

"Uhhhhh-I don't know about that." Ruby rolled her eyes while grumbling, "I still think she and I have a lot of things to work out..."

"But?"

"But..." Ruby had a small smile while looking up, "I'm glad I got her as my partner."

Naruto smiled as well and nodded, "Yeah. It might not be as bad as we thought."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

("Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester.")

The four young men stood at attention on the stage of the amphitheater with their profile pictures and names appearing on the screen. Ozpin and Glynda stood besides each other as the headmaster continued speaking, ("The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as Team CRDL (Cardinal), led by...Cardin Winchester.")

The crowd cheered and the profile pictures changed their order to follow the name Ozpin had just given.

They walked off the stage and Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren stood proudly in a line in front of their headmaster. He looked over all of them, ("Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as Team JNPR (Juniper).")

The entire audience clapped and cheered as their names and pictures shuffled to follow their new team.

("Led by...Jaune Arc.")

Jaune blinked in shock before looking at the silver-haired man in disbelief. Before he could even protest, he felt a sturdy punch impact against his arm and make him stagger to the side. He rubbed his sore arm and looked over to see Pyrrha nodding proudly at his status while Nora hugged Ren closely, the other boy not feeling so in the mood for hugs. Jaune nervously smile and laughed before looking to the side in worry.

Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke, and Tenten took center stage and stood quietly with their hands behind their backs. Ozpin looked over them, ("Kiba Inuzuka. Tenten Tamura. Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto Uzumaki. The four of you retrieved the white...and red bishop pieces.")

The other three slowly turned to the side and glared at the whiskered boy as he shrugged. They didn't have time to wash the piece Naruto picked up.

("From this day forward, you will be known as Team NKTS (Noctis), led by...Naruto Uzumaki.")

Naruto blinked in surprise before looking over at his teammates. They looked towards him and smiled before Tenten leaned over and wrapped her arms around all their necks. Naruto looked around for a bit before looking off stage to see Ruby and her group standing together. The short hooded girl smiled and gave him a thumbs-up for his achievement.

Naruto was still shocked until he smiled back and nodded.

As the last group to be initiated, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang stood at attention. Ozpin spoke, ("Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as Team RWBY (Ruby), led by...Ruby Rose.")

Weiss looked on in shock before turning to her equally surprised partner. Before they could say anything, Yang came running over and enveloped her little sister in a proud and spine-breaking hug.

While the students clapped and cheered for their new teams and classmates, Ozpin spoke into the microphone, ("Take the rest of the night to prepare yourselves everyone. Find your rooms and get some rest...from tomorrow morning, your real challenges as students here begin.")

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_I. Feel. Swamped._**

**_I need to get more used to multiple people fighting at once. That's a pretty common thing to happen in battles._**

**_I was actually going to call them Team Nexus, but Noctis was suggested by someone and it worked so much better. It's Latin and translates to "Of Night," which works better to follow the color theme RWBY has._**

**_Speaking of RWBY lore, I thought up of song names that follow NKTS themes just like the RWBY trailers did._**

**_N- Home to Nowhere_**

**_K- Animal Heart_**

**_T- Iron Child_**

**_S- Blood Moon Chains_**

**_As an answer to those few people that keep giving me the same review, just to make you happy, the next story I'll update will be Prince. I just wanted to get a few more things out there before I step back into the funny light._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	6. N Trailer

Hunting or Bust

Extra: N Trailer

When I finished Season 10 of Red vs Blue, I saw the Red trailer for the first time. I was so excited, but I didn't even realize that I was going to have to wait more than half a year until I finally got to see the brain child of Monty Oum. But it was worth it.

Anyway, back on track...some people asked if I could do trailers for NKTS like the ones that came out for RWBY...

Yes. Yes I can.

Please remember to review each chapter. These will be focusing on one character each and I'd like to hear your feedback on what you thought.

Actually, I'd like it if you guys reviewed every chapter. I live for those things, they're awesome.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"You understand the job, right?"_

"Yeah man, I got it."

_"There's a cache of weapons in that warehouse from Atlas getting moved to Mistral in a few days. But Mr. Wilsk is interested in seeing them in his inventory so you and your little friend are going to go pick them up."_

"'Pick up', right. Sure." He said with a tired roll of his eyes. Criminals really did use that stupid change of terminology. They thought giving something a bit of a lighter title made it different from normal thievery.

_"If any of those soldiers get in your way, take care of them. Just bring the weapons back to us and-"_

"Yeah, I get it. Grab the guns. Bring 'em back." The young whiskered blond was standing behind the corner of another building in the empty docks while keeping a watch on the white armored soldiers moving the weapons. He was wearing a black hoodie to cover his head and a new black bandana around his neck. The sheathes that hold _Gatling Stormer_ were secured firmly to his back. He spoke into his Scroll, "After this, we're even right? We made up for the damages?"

_"That will be up to Mr. Wilsk once you're finished. Don't contact us until you're done."_

The call ended and a tone rang through Naruto's ears. He groaned and snapped the device shut before pocketing it away. He shook his head before looking back to his target. He pulled the bandana over his mouth to cover his face, "How the hell did we get into this situation?"

The security soldiers of the Atlas delivery were moving the sleek silver cargo into the warehouse for the pickup that would come the next day. They all did their job effortlessly and perfectly of what was required of them.

But they didn't notice the figure in black rappel down from the ceiling using a steel wire and a blade.

Naruto landed behind cover without making a single noise. He had had a lot of practice with moving in the shadows and making others unaware of his presence. In fact he was so confident in his stealth and maneuverability that he could probably wear bright neon colors and still sneak around like a ninja.

The purpose of stealth was to go unnoticed, right? Well if they never even knew you were there then it probably wouldn't matter what you wore.

But Naruto decided not to risk it this time. A hoodie to cover his head and his bandana to cover his face. These guys were part of the largest military might in the world after all. He didn't want them noticing his face so he could go up on the Atlesian Most Wanted List.

Naruto snuck behind the cargo without raising any alarms. It was nighttime but he could still see the guards and soldiers clearly. He just had to grab whatever he could, maybe try and knock a few of these guys out, and then he and Sasuke would be done with all of this.

One soldier placed a box of cargo on top of a large set before he started walking away to get the rest. Naruto's hand swiftly popped up from behind the cover and grabbed the box before pulling it away. Naruto effortlessly ran to an alley outside of the warehouse and dropped off the merchandise before making his way back.

Naruto continued to sneak in and out of the warehouse while stealing the smaller boxes of weapons without bringing any alarm to the guards. He made his was to one of the bigger sleek crates of weapons and prepared to sneak the guns out quietly. But when he tried to open the box he found it was impossible to open the top.

Naruto looked at the crate in confusion before noticing at its side was an electrical lock that needed a number crunch to open it. His eyes widened in shock before looking over all the cargo in sight and noticing they had the same lock.

Naruto pulled one of his short blades out of its sheathe before trying to force the cover open. After a few failed attempts to slide it between the thin opening, Naruto realized this wasn't gonna work without the codes.

"Crap."

Naruto clicked his tongue against his teeth...before looking up to see a soldier in full armor with a doughnut in his hand staring silently at the thief.

...

Naruto shook his head, "Dude, for both our sakes...don't do it."

The soldier dropped his doughnut and reached back to grab his gun to incapacitate the thief. But Naruto spun the short blade in his hand and shot an arrow into the soldier's chin to knock him out. The soldier staggered back after the strike to his exposed chin and started shaking on his legs...

***Bang*Bang*Bang*Bang***

But that didn't stop him from firing his gun off into the ground.

Naruto flinched as the loud gunshots echoed through the warehouse. Naruto didn't do anything until he slowly turned to the side to see all the soldiers looking directly at him.

He gave a weak chuckle, "H-hi guys. Nice weather we're having, am I right?"

They all stopped what they were doing and grabbed the guns latched to their backs. They immediately started unloading bullets at the young man as he dove behind another crate for protection. When the soldiers started running towards his position he immediately ran out of cover and started evading the bullets getting sent at him. He flipped and slid over crates before vaulting off them and spinning in the air. The young thief was doing whatever he could not to get ripped apart by the barrage of bullets.

He finally slid behind a larger crate that protected him from the onslaught of bullets. The soldiers stopped firing and stayed weary as they looked at the crate the interloper had hid behind. Some of the Atlesian soldiers looked between each other before slowly making their way towards the crate.

The large crate was thrown off the ground and knocked most of the opposing force off their feet and onto their backs. They looked at the massive cargo crate that weighed more than most of them could lift on their best day before turning to look at the culprit.

His features were still hidden beneath his hoodie and bandana combo, but he was no longer hiding from sight. He had a long katana in his right hand and several short blades along his arms tied together by wire. He took a moment to fix the set of weapons he was using before grunting confidently and lowering himself into a stance.

The moment one of the soldiers twitched to raise his weapons, Naruto started firing arrows from all of his swords in every direction. Some soldiers ducked behind cover while some were knocked back by the arrows hitting them in their weak spots.

Naruto dashed forward and caught a soldier off guard before swiping his swords and knocking the man high into the air and against the roof. One soldier aimed his way but Naruto started swinging his blades and swords to deflect the bullets flying towards him. He leapt forward and swatted the soldier away into a pile of crates.

Two soldiers looked between each other and decided this wasn't working. They switched out their guns for combat batons and swung them down to get their maximum length.

The soldiers pounced at the unsuspecting perpetrator that looked back at the last moment and back flipped away from harm. He gripped _Stormer_ tightly and blocked the charge of both soldiers as they started swinging their batons at him with expert skill. Naruto had to keep turning and stepping back as the soldiers kept advancing forward at the same time.

Until Naruto spun his arms out in a wide circle and all ten blades spun out in front of him, blocking the two batons and undoubtedly frightening the soldiers. Naruto started holding his palms together and swinging back and forth as all of the blades started attacking in unison. Naruto spun on his knees while holding his arms out together and both soldiers were knocked back by the extraordinary force of his attack.

Some of the soldiers started to groan and pull themselves up as Naruto grabbed one by the helmet, "Where are the codes to the locks?"

"Uhhhhhhhhh-bleh."

He passed out and Naruto sighed exhaustively before catching something in the corner of his eye. He saw three other soldiers running out of the warehouse and somewhere safe away from him. One of them was holding a miniature Scroll tightly in his hand and trying to hide it out of sight. Naruto narrowed his eyes before he started chasing after them.

While running after the escaping soldiers he pulled out his Scroll and dialed up his partner's contact, "Sasuke!"

_"..."_

"Sasuke?"

_"..."_

"SASUKE?!"

_"Huh? What?"_

"What are you doing you idiot?! Did you not hear all the gunfire and me kicking ass?!"

_"S-sorry Naruto...I was-um-thinking about something."_

"Well pull your head out of your ass and get down to the warehouse! I knocked a few soldiers out but there are still a lot of them getting back up! And we can't open the cargo unless we have a security code and I think one of these guys I'm chasing has it! Make sure the place is clear for us to run when I get back!"

_"Roger."_

The call ended and Naruto pocketed his Scroll as the three soldiers started making a turn into another alley. Naruto narrows his eyes, jumped up and launched himself off a wall, and fell through the air until he tackled one of the soldiers into the ground.

The second one turned around to see the hoodie wearing intruder coming up behind them and pulled out his gun. He started firing rounds at the thief but Naruto blocked them with his swords. He clapped his hands and all eleven swords fired arrows at the soldier, slamming against him at different points on his body and knocking him out.

The last soldier was climbing the ladder to the top of one of the buildings with Naruto hot on his trail. The whiskered boy jumped up to the roof and watched the large man run to the edge of the roof.

He turned around and faced the boy hiding his features from the light. Naruto noticed that this guy was much larger and more muscular than the other soldiers. And while their armor was predominately white, his had a tone of silver that shined against the shattered moonlight. That meant he could be something like a Lieutenant. Naruto looked at the man's hand and saw the small Scroll in his palm before demanding, "Give me the codes. We need them."

The large military man pulled out a pistol and started firing at the thief that just ducked and dodged the bullets before swiping them away. His gun was empty and Naruto spoke once again, "Hand it over. Or I'll take it from you."

The soldier looked down at the device in his hand before carefully placing it in his back pocket. He then reached behind him and pulled something out to use when facing the man in front of him.

The Atlesian soldier pulled out a long whip that was folded into itself with a sharp knife secured to its tip. He gripped the handle tightly and started feeding the knife-tip through his hands until it had a fair bit of length from his hand. He gripped one point tightly and started spinning the knife-tipped head at ridiculous speeds.

***Schwip***

Naruto's eyes widened as he leaned to the side and felt the knife barely miss his head while it pierced through his hoodie. Before he could do anything else the knife-tip was pulled back immediately and the solider started spinning the whip around him.

He jerked forward and the whip came at Naruto who barely blocked it with his sword. It immediately came back down from the other direction and continued doing so with unbelievable accuracy. But Naruto didn't falter and blocked every swipe of the whip with his blades.

The roof was covered in a flurry of long-range and nearly invisible attacks as the two combatants kept trying to gain ground on each other. Sparks flew and the sound of wires and whips filled the air while the two men fought each other. The soldier wrapped the whip around his arm and started leading it with even better accuracy as Naruto staved the knife off with his blades.

Naruto slid to his knees and started firing arrows as quickly as he could at the lieutenant but just watched as the large man spun his whip around him like a barrier. Naruto clicked his teeth and spun along the ground like a top as he gave his strings some slack to extend and slash towards the soldier who blocked his blades. He took the initiative and started aiming the knife-tip from above down at the thief. Naruto kicked off the ground as the knife came down near his head and followed him across the roof.

The lieutenant pulled back on the whip before snapping it forward and nearly piercing through Naruto's head. The whiskered boy ducked and watched as the soldier spun around before extending his whip to its full length. Naruto had to jump and spin over the long weapon as it nearly covered the whole roof.

Naruto landed back to his feet and gritted his teeth. This was a pain in the ass. They both had long-ranged weapons, but this guy had more experience with using his weapon in combat. Naruto usually opted to beat his enemies quickly when he used _Gatling Stormer_, because it was a difficult weapon to utilize continuously in battle. The longer this fight lasted, the more his enemy was going to get used to his moves. Which put him at a disadvantage.

Naruto sent his blades up to shoot arrows again but with amazing skill the lieutenant sent the knife-tip forward and sliced through the wires holding his blades together. Naruto watched in shock as his swords fell around him after they were separated.

He then felt an immense pain run through his chest and slowly looked down to see the knife-tip of the whip had imbedded itself in his sternum. Underneath his bandana, blood slowly started to trickle down his chin as he choked, "Wh-"

The knife-tip was pulled out of his chest and the lieutenant spun around before bringing the whip in full circle, causing a long gash to go up from the thief's stomach to his ribs.

The Atlesian Lieutenant looked in shock as the shorter man fell to the ground with a terrible injury.

He caught the tip of his weapon back into his other hand while wondering what just happened. He had used this weapon for years now but something like this had never happened before. His adversaries were blown back or knocked out when he used an attack like that but it never pierced through someone like that before. How did that happen?

Before he could wonder about what had happened, he saw the young man start to lift himself off the ground while blood poured out of the wound. With strength he wouldn't expect someone with such a grievous injury to have, he stood up swiftly like it was nothing. He could still see the deep wounds underneath the jacket and shirt but the skin started to close and heal itself. After a moment the only evidence he even had those wounds was the blood that stained his clothes.

The lieutenant watched as the young man raised his gaze to show off the determined and unflinching eyes hidden under the hood.

Naruto was trying to find his breath as his body healed itself. His eyes wandered along the ground to see _Stormer_ and all of his short blades spread along the ground in front of the solider. All except for one short blade lying next to his foot.

That's fine.

That will be more than enough.

Naruto slipped the short blade over his foot before kicking it up and effortlessly grabbing it out of the air. He spun it in his hand with exceptional skill before aiming it at the soldier.

The soldier decided not to take anymore chances and started spinning his whip again.

He whipped it forward but Naruto brought the short blade up and parried the thrust. The soldier started swinging the whip around at blinding speeds but Naruto blocked all of them with his technique. When Naruto blocked a strike, he stepped forward in a rain of sparks and clashing metal.

The soldier swung his arms around and brought the whip down from overhead as Naruto stepped out of its path. He kicked _Stormer_ up into his hand and started using both blades to block the onslaught of whip attacks. The advantage of fighting against a powerful long-range opponent, they have a hard time quickly adjusting to close-quarters when the enemy came in close.

The soldier pulled the whip back and thrusted the knife-tip towards Naruto, only for the younger man to dodge by a hair's breath and slicing the whip in half. It fell uselessly to the ground as Naruto came in close to the taller and older man.

Naruto yelled loudly before a barrage of sword strikes smacked the larger man all around the roof. The Atlesian soldier's body jerked left and right as Naruto's blades brought with them staggering, heavy blows. Naruto continued slashing at the man's armor and knocking him around until finally landing a punch under his chin and sending him into the air.

Naruto stood silently as the man flew through the air before landing on his face. He lifted his head with a groan before losing consciousness and lying still on the ground. Naruto pulled the bandana off his face and spit up some blood before wiping his mouth.

He walked over to the downed lieutenant and searched over his body before finding his target. He pulled up the small Scroll and touched it as dozens of pass-codes started running over the screen.

Naruto lowered the Scroll before looking down at the short blade in his hand. He still had the skill...still had the ability to fight with it...and he still felt ashamed to use it for the wrong reasons.

The Scroll in his pocket started to vibrate and Naruto pulled it out to see Sasuke's profile on the screen. He answered, _"Hey, you all right? Did you get the codes?"_

Naruto answered unenthusiastically, "Yeah. I got it. I'm coming back."

_"Right. I'll see you soon."_

Naruto closed the device before letting out a dejected sigh. He just stared down at the floor silently until he started walking around and picking up his swords. He returned them into their sheathes before rubbing his thumb over the bandana in his hand.

He ran it under his hood and started tying it over his head before pulling his hood off. This was what he was now.

This is what he had to do to now.

This was the path he found himself on.

**(((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_I like writing this stuff. It is so much fun not writing the usual techniques and stuff and just relying on fighting and guns._**

**_It's refreshing._**

**_And cool._**

**_This is set some time before the first chapter. Naruto seemed like he was having a hard time using his weapons because he was. He had time to train more with Gatling Stormer and Sasuke over time while they were thieves. This being the first time they were stealing something, they were a lot different than who they are currently._**

**_Anyway, write a review and tell me what you think._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	7. K Trailer

Hunting or Bust

Extra: K Trailer

RWBY Volume 2 is over! Now we get to enjoy the overwhelmingly painful and arduous task of waiting another year for Volume 3...y-yay.

Make sure to leave a review on what you think.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Kiba stretched out his legs to get his muscles limber and ready for a run. He started jumping on his feet while rotating his shoulders around and made sure that _Crimson Fang_ was attached to his belt. He casually walked towards the forest before taking out some headphones so he could listen to music on his run. Until he felt something nudge against his thigh and moan.

"Nnn...nnn...nnn"

He looked down and saw a massive dog with white fur standing by his side while whimpering sadly. Kiba kneeled down by the dog's face, "Hey Akamaru, what's wrong buddy?"

The dog's ears fell and he let out another whimper.

Kiba shrugged his shoulders, "What? I'm not gonna be gone for long. I'm going on a quick run through the forest and then I'll be back and we can play with everybody else. What's the big deal?"

Akamaru growled.

"Well duh Missy and Sprinkles are gonna act all pompous, they're cats. That's their thing."

Akamaru let out a quick bark.

"Well that's a good thing you stopped them from eating Zephyr and Icarus. They gotta know that we don't eat each other here."

"Rarh."

"Hey, c'mon." Kiba started scratching behind the dog's ears and smiled, "You're the boss of the kennel now buddy. This is the job passed on to the next big guy in charge. It's gonna be tough but I'm gonna be by your side to help."

"Grrrrrrr."

Kiba looked to the side in guilt, "Okay, until I go off to Beacon, but that's still a few months away. And you know I'm gonna come back home as soon as I can to see you guys again. So please don't be mad."

Akamaru's face fell and he whimpered a little while nudging closer to Kiba and sniffing his chest. Kiba felt just as sad to leave Akamaru, his family, and everybody else at the kennel to go study at Beacon next semester. Even though he felt grateful for being accepted and unbelievably happy to go to the school of his dreams to follow in his family's footsteps, he still didn't like the idea of leaving everyone behind.

Kiba smiled and patted his friend's head, "Hey...since I'll be leaving soon, let's start making up for the time I'll be gone. Wanna come running?"

Akamaru cheered up and started panting happily before barking in excitement.

"All right!" Kiba stood up and pounded his fist, "Then let's go!"

He and Akarmaru stood besides each other on the edge of the forest as he stretched his arms, "Okay, when I say go, we start sprinting, and the first one-"

Akamaru immediately darted along the ground and left Kiba in the dust.

The tattooed boy staggered for a moment before chasing after his dog, "Hey! I didn't mean go yet you jerk! Cheater!"

Kiba started sprinting as fast as he possibly could and tried to catch up to his canine partner. After a few moments of running, he could see Akamaru's butt and tail wag while he serpentine around the trees. Kiba smirked as he watched the friend he had been growing up with for years start overtaking him in the race.

But no way in hell it was gonna stick that way.

Kiba felt the sensation of his body becoming stronger and more agile as his Feral Semblance started to kick in. His sprinting speed increased 2 fold and he started catching up to the white dog. He decided to make this more fun for himself and jumped off the tree trunk towards the branches.

Akamaru happily ran through the forest before he noticed leaves fall around him and the rustling of tree branches. He looked up to see Kiba quickly jump from one branch to another on his hands and feet. The wild boy smiled down at his dog, "I'm gonna win!"

Akamaru barked before he started running even faster. He and Kiba started crossing around each other as the dog started jumping off lower branches for speed while Kiba started running along the ground. The two partners continued their race until Akamaru jumped off a tree and barreled into Kiba's back as the boy yelped and they both rolled along the ground.

They landed in the dirt with Akamaru happily lying on Kiba's body while he laid facedown in the ground. The boy started squirming under the dog's weight, "Okay! Okay! You win! Get off me!"

Akamaru crawled off Kiba while the young man sat up and rubbed his back tenderly. Kiba frowned before chuckling and patting the dog's head, "I don't even know why you're worried about me leaving. You're gonna be just fine here and I'm sure I won't face anyone nearly as tough as you."

Akamaru barked happily while he leaned into Kiba's hand to encourage him to pet more. Until the dog's eyes opened and he started growling menacingly and lowered himself in a offensive manner, focused in one direction.

Kiba blinked in confusion before his enhanced senses started kicking in and he noticed what the dog was growling at. Kiba slowly turned his head around to see a set of Beowolves start to emerge from the bushes. Their red eyes were set solely on the human boy and started to grow deeply, **"Grrrrrrrrr."**

Akamaru slid in front of Kiba protectively and started growling in return, "Grrrrrrrrrr."

Kiba stood back up and looked around as Beowolves started emerging from the forest on all sides. He nudged Akamaru's side, "Get ready buddy, I think we have some work to do before we get back."

The Grimm all started to slowly creep towards the pair as Akamaru snarled his teeth and Kiba slowly pulled out his tonfa. The dog and hunter-in-training stood besides each other as a pack of Grimm started blocking all sides. Kiba's eyes panned back and forth before a grin came over his face.

He reached back and grabbed Akamaru before throwing him at the Grimm, "Akamaru! Attack!"

The massive white dog curled up tightly and slammed into a Beowolf's chest so strongly that it blew the monster back. Akamaru landed on his paws and started swerving around while biting into another Beowolf's leg and pulling it out from underneath. One of the Grimm swiped at the large dog but Akamaru jumped over the claw and gave the massive monster a staggering headbutt. The dog barked loudly before charging forward and tackling another Beowolf to the ground.

Kiba turned around and started spinning _Crimson Fang's_ grip in his hands with a confident smirk, his hair and teeth spiked to indicate that Feral was still in affect. One Beowolf started charging at him and Kiba smacked its head with the far end of his weapon. Kiba then stepped close and and started smacking the monster's body with each spin of his weapons. The monster's body jerked around rapidly as Kiba's arms started to blur and he made each hit count to damage the Grimm.

Kiba flipped and kicked off the Grimm's chest and slammed into another Beowolf behind him. He held out his arms and started firing rounds into the beasts that surrounded him. He jumped and kicked two of them in the head before blasting another in the chest. A larger one came charging in and slammed into the boy's chest as he blocked the attack with his sturdy tonfa. Kiba flew through the air before sliding against the ground and snarling his teeth while twirling his weapon by its grip.

Akamaru spun through the air and tackled a Beowolf before ripping its chest up with his claws. He barked and continued to bounce off the Grimm while slashing across their chests.

It wasn't uncommon for him and Kiba to fight besides each other when they needed to. Their parents had been teaching them how to fight and work with each other for as long as they could remember. And while the Grimm didn't seem the least bit interested in the dog, they were always lurking towards Kiba for a meal. And to Akamaru, that was just as bad as them trying to eat him.

While the two fought, an Ursa and Boarbatusks started following the noise and came to attack as well. The boar Grimm spun on the ground and propelled themselves forward as Akamaru charged and bounced them off his head. The dog stumbled back in pain before the Ursa walked up behind him and prepared for the kill. But Kiba charged in from the side and slammed his tonfa into its ribs before planting it into the ground and slamming his rocket-powered fist into its head.

The two partners stood between each other and protected their backs. Kiba punched through the chests of the Grimm while Akamaru pounced and ripped through their necks. The boy ducked underneath their attacks before punching up and sending several of them high into the air. Akamaru jumped and spun through the air, knocking several of them back and away from the duo.

Kiba finally flipped through the air and landed on Akamaru's back as the white dog howled. Akamaru dashed around the trees and formed a perimeter the Grimm could not escape from as Kiba started unloading round after round to the center where they were all gathered together. The monsters let out dying roars and shrieks as they were pelted with bullets from the boy riding his dog.

The last set of them were struggling on their feet before Kiba and Akamaru came barreling in and blasted them away. Kiba jumped off his dog and they separated before standing besides each other ready for another attack. Except there were none to be seen. Only smoking trees and destroyed earth along with the corpses of all the Grimm they had just slain.

Kiba and Akamaru quickly looked around and noticed the mess they had caused. Kiba clicked his tongue in worry before pocketing his weapon and kneeling besides his dog, "Akamaru...we can't tell anyone about this, okay? Mom and Sis would have our asses if they find out."

Akamaru shook in worry at the thought of being punished by the two fierce women before he barked in agreement.

Kiba nodded, "Good."

Kiba stood up before he beckoned for his partner to follow, "We should probably get out of here...like right now."

Akamaru barked happily and followed after him.

"Hey do you think mom's done cooking dinner yet? I'm starving!"

"Bark bark!"

"Woah! No way! You did a good job but you ain't getting part of my steak! I'm hungry!"

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Hey don't growl at me! Look, if you want some, how about we race for it? Ready, se-SEE YA LATER SUCKER!"

"BARK!"

Kiba darted off and got a head start as Akamaru chased after him, barking furiously at the cheap move. In a race to see who would win the right to eat the delicious steak they got to eat once a week at their house.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Like I would make a version of Kiba that didn't have Akamaru. Pa-lease.**_

_**So, that's it. The manga is done. A few more chapters in 2015 but essentially that's it. Good run. Ups and downs but overall that series will stick with me forever.**_

_**Thank you Naruto. For 15 years.**_

_**On another note, what do you guys think is gonna be the next huge anime/manga to take its place? Naruto stands as the most purchased and well known Japanese series in mainstream America. And it's also hands down the most popular category in the anime sections of fanfic. Do you think it's still got a long ways to go before teetering off? Or are other series gonna start picking up the slack?**_

_**_**Personally I hope One Piece picks up more over here and people will look past the bad rep it got under the 4kids dub.**_**_

_**Interesting to see.**_

_**Me...I've got work to do.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	8. T Trailer

Hunting or Bust

Extra: T Trailer

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"TAMURA WEAPON MANUFACTURING CENTER!" The young lady yelled on the sidewalk as she pointed to the building with intricate designs behind her. She was waving a sign over her head and doing everything she could to get the attention of the people around, "GETTING READY FOR THE NEW YEAR AT A TRAINING SCHOOL?! DON'T HAVE A WEAPON YET?! COME TO OUR SHOP AND WE'LL HELP YOU MAKE THE BEST WEAPONS IMAGINEABLE! WE GUARANTEE IT!"

The civilians of the outer stretches of the city spared some glances towards the girl advertising the store before they just continued walking. The girl with the brown hair frowned before she started spinning the sign again, "COME ONE, COME ALL! GOT AN IDEA FOR A WEAPON?! WANT A CERTAINTY THAT IT WILL NEVER BREAK?! COME TO TAMURA MANUFACTURING, THE BEST WEAPON CREATION STORE IN REMNANT!"

"Hey lady."

Tenten looked to the side to see a group of boys and girls only a few years younger than her with interested and expectant expressions. The boy in front, the leader by what Tenten guessed, walk forward and asked, "We're going to school soon and we gotta make our weapons. Is this a good place?"

Tenten nodded, eager to help get more customers for the family business, "Definitely! My family's shop is the best place to go guys! If you want some weapons that won't break against any Grimm you face then look no further!"

"I don't know." One of the girls said, uncertain that this little unknown shop would actually be useful in making decent weapons, "This place is small compared to the other shops. And it seems pretty crappy too."

Tenten furrowed her eyes at the insult towards their shop.

"She's right." One boy said while he started walking away, "There are way better places we can go. Let's get out of here."

The group of potential customers started leaving before Tenten panicked. She ran up in front of them, "Woah, wait! Believe me, I know this place might not look like much but you won't find anywhere better to build a weapon! My dad's been doing this stuff since before I was born. Trust me, this is a great place to do it."

The younger teens all looked between each other before looking at her critically, "Well can we see something as proof?"

"Proof?" Tenten looked up in thought and contemplated for a moment how to prove it to these guys. She shrugged, "Ummm...I don't really have a way to prove it...except maybe these."

Tenten extended her arms and her sleeves slipped over them as a dozen sharp knives dropped from the holes. The trainees looked on in shock as a sword, a chain and sickle, a bat, miniature scythes, short blades, an entire spear, and an assortment of other weapons far too big to be stuffed into her sleeves. Tenten shook her arms to make sure they were all out before she smiled at the shocked teens...

"How about that?"

The younger kids looked at the smiling girl to the pile of weapons before back at Tenten. They immediately turned around and stormed into the weapon shop, pushing each other out of the way as they were eager to make a weapon like the ones she had.

Tenten made a knowing and cheeky smile while she watched the younger teens argue and announce the cool weapons they saw inside. She knelt down and covered all the weapons she had dropped with her sleeves before they disappeared and she stood back up.

Now technically while these were made by a Tamura, they weren't made in the shop...but those kids didn't have to know that.

Tenten placed the sign against the store before opening the door, "Hey dad, I'm going on my break! Be back in a few minutes!"

"All right honey, but make sure to come back soon! We'll need ya!"

Tenten nodded before walking back out the door and down the street. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out the newest copy of X-Ray and Vav with a grin. Awesome new issue, with a coffee from Sundough, and Tenten was assured a peaceful and serene lunch break.

"Ah!"

The girl with buns looked up to see a woman get knocked over in the street by a man dressed entirely in black. Even after he knocked her over, he continued to sprint down the street and around the corner.

Tenten was surprised at the scene before she ran over and helped the woman back to her feet. She asked, "Are you all right?"

"Y-yes. I think so." She looked down at her handbag and started searching through it before panicking, "My purse! I can't find my purse!"

Tenten looked towards the direction the man had charged off in before narrowing her eyes. She started running after him and yelled, "I'll go get it back for you!"

The woman kept looking through her handbag until she found her purse and smiled, "Oh wait, here it is. I found it so everything's-hello? Young lady?"

Tenten was sprinting down the street while looking around the area to try and spot the purse thief. After some searching she finally looked down an alley and spotted three men, two humans and a Faunus, dressed up in black talking around a large truck.

"What took you so long?"

"Sorry. I got held up hacking the security cameras. It took longer than I thought."

"Well if you're done then let's head out. We need to make it in before-"

"Hey!"

The group of people in black looked towards the exit of the alleyway to see a girl with hair done up in buns, with a white blouse with long sleeves and long baggy red pants. She pointed at one of them, "You give back that lady's purse!"

The group was all silent before they looked at the member of their group being accused. The Faunus, a large muscular man with antlers, deadpanned, "You stole a purse?"

"No! I didn't steal from anyone! N-not yet at least!" He glared at Tenten, "I didn't steal from that lady! I just knocked her over!"

"I'm gonna need some proof!" Tenten announced while placing her hands on her hips defiantly.

The covered man just groaned before hastily yelling, "Look kid, get out of here now before you become part of something you wouldn't-"

Both doors of the truck swung open and two unconscious drivers fell out. A man and woman popped out of the doors, "We're set! Let's get moving before the cops-"

...

Everyone looked between the two people that had occupied the truck towards the girl with buns in her hair. Tenten blinked in surprise before absentmindedly stating, "You didn't steal from the lady...but you are gonna rob a truck?"

...

"Oh, that is so much worse than stealing a purse!"

"GET HER!" One of them yelled before the deer Faunus and another man charged at the girl with terrible luck. Tenten frowned and reached into her sleeve before pulling out a sickle and chain. She spun the weapon by its hilt before chucking it at the human who just barely managed to dodge to attack.

Tenten threw her arm out and the chain stretched out three fold before she pulled it back and wrapped the chain around the robber. She flicked her arms and pulled the man off his feet before slamming him down into the pavement.

The large Faunus continued charging forward and Tenten had to let go of the chain to backflip away from his attack that cracked the concrete. The girl landed a few steps away but then had to start ducking and stepping away as the large man started waving his fists and throwing kicks at her. Tenten was barely able to evade the swipes of his massive fists before two metal escrima sticks slipped out of her sleeves and she blocked his punch.

His fists took mighty swings and nearly bashed in her skull but Tenten skillfully warded off the attacks with her weapons. With each strike she parried his fists with her sticks and saved herself. She weaved back as he lunged forward and she slammed her escrima down on his knuckles with a resounding thud. He flinched back and grabbed his hand before he looked back up in time for Tenten to swing the metallic stick into his chin and knock him back.

But as the Faunus tumbled over, the other man untangled himself from the chains and jumped over him to land a kick on Tenten's chest. She fell back on the pavement and had to roll along the ground as his foot came dropping down near her head. She came back up to her knees and threw her arms out as two knives with wires flew out of her sleeves.

The robber flipped in the space between the two knives and did a quick step until he stood directly in front of her. Tenten had to block as the man started sending a flurry of quick kicks at her, switching legs with each kick and almost catching her off guard.

But when one of his kicks landed directly on her forearms, he yelped and jumped back in pain. He rubbed his aching shin, "Ow! What the hell?! Are you made of iron?!"

Tenten smirked.

The large Faunus came running in from behind and Tenten narrowly avoided his clothesline. She swung her arms and two maces came swinging out on long chains. She gripped the chains and started swinging the flails by a point around the Faunus. But he started turning and ducking the spikes, narrowly avoiding injury while advancing on the intruding girl.

When the large man threw a punch at the quick girl, she dodged and wrapped an iron wire around his wrist. She stepped back and yelped when the other man came jumping in and kicked her in the side. She fell to the ground but jumped back up as he came kicking at her, wrapping a second wire around his ankle and tightening it.

With one tied by the fist and another by the ankle, Tenten jumped back and pulled two large knives out attached to the wires. She turned around and threw them over a lamppost. When they swung over the bar, she came running in and grabbed the knives before pulling them down with immense strength.

"AHHH!"

"OH SHIT!"

The Faunus and the man were pulled up by the wires and left hanging from the lamppost while thrashing around wildly. Tenten wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled proudly at catching the two criminals.

The three robbers by the truck looked at the scene in surprise. One guy spoke in shock, "Did she just catch them both by herself?"

"Yep."

"This is what happens when a shady guy like you walks around and knocks people over."

"H-hey, this wasn't my fault!"

"Well who's fault is it?!"

"Hey! Idiots! Stop yelling in my ear!" The female robber yelled at the two men arguing and sighed angrily. She rubbed her face, "So who wants to try her next?"

The two men looked at her expectantly and she gave them a dry look, "Are you kidding?"

"Hey, I'm the driver."

"And I take out the cameras and defenses."

She shook her head, "Men. Don't ever leave them to do the necessary jobs." She jumped out of the truck and started making her way over to Tenten with a sway in step.

Tenten looked over in time to see the new woman walk over and turned to face her. The woman reached behind her belt and took out two large black handles before pressing a button and making them extend into large curved blades. She started spinning them around in her palms while Tenten placed a foot back and prepared for another fight.

The woman charged forward and two knives slipped into Tenten's hands to guard. The robber thrusted forward and sparks flew as the large curved blade scrapped against the combat knife. The sound of clashing metal continued as the robber spun her blades to adjust the distance and more effectively attack as Tenten blocked with a focused look.

The robber kicked up her leg and Tenten went to block but was tricked when it turned out to just be a feint. She lunged forward and knocked Tenten back with a strong blow before spinning around and bringing her blades back down, knocking the weapons out of her hands.

Tenten flipped back and a metal staff slipped into her hands before she started spinning it around her shoulder. She took hold of it again and thrusted forward as the robber blocked her strike. Tenten spun her weapon around and started aiming for her opponent's legs and head but was only met with the blunt of the blades.

The two women started stepping back and forth as they took every opportunity to attack. The robber parried the staff being aimed at her body and danced around with her blades swinging at Tenten. And Tenten leaned forward but continued to spin her weapon over her back to catch the bladed woman off guard.

The woman swiped the staff away from her and leapt over Tenten's head while swinging her curved weapons against the girl's metal staff. She forced Tenten down onto one knee before landing behind her and slamming the blades down on her staff again.

Tenten flinched when every heavy strike of the woman's blades shook her shoulders. Tenten struggled for a moment before finding the perfect moment and pushing the blades back with her weapon. She made a quick strike against the robber's knee and staggered her before swinging it up and knocking her back on her butt.

She bounced on the street before rolling over her shoulder and back onto her knees in time to see Tenten descend on her with her staff over her head. She tensed her arms before leaping to her feet and blocking the staff before following through and knocking it out of her hands.

The staff flew out of Tenten's hands and she flew back until the robber grabbed her leg and threw her up and then into the ground. She bounced off the concrete until the woman finished her off and smacked her in the side with her blades.

The young lady slid across the street until she stopped moving and was lying facedown. The female robber stood there silently while catching her breath. She ran her fingers over the grip of her blades before exhaling deeply.

"Nice fight."

"Yeah. Great job. Can you get us down now?"

She growls angrily before looking up at her fellow criminals hanging from the lamppost, "I should leave you idiots up there as a present for the Law Enforcement. Might teach you something."

"Hey! Are we clear now?!" One of the guys in alley inquired.

She yelled back, "Yeah! She's out cold! Pull the truck out and we can finish this up! We gotta hurry!

"Got it!"

The two guys got in the front seats of the truck and started backing it before they started making their getaway.

***Schwip(x7)***

The sounds of popping tires filled the street as the truck started losing control and swerving wildly. The woman's eyes widened and she dove out of the way as the truck lost control and slammed into the lamppost, falling over and landing on top of the man and Faunus tied to it and knocking them out. The truck backed into a wall and crashed while airbags popped open and knocked the two men in the front seat out.

The female robber stood back up and looked over in surprise to see Tenten lifting herself up on her elbows with one hand extended to throw the knives that popped the tires. She glared and shook her head at the girl's unyielding tenacity, "It's unhealthy to not learn when to quit."

Tenten slowly hefted herself back up to her feet before wiping her face, one of her buns undone and her hair was disheveled. She faced the armed woman in front of her and took a stance in preparation to fight.

The robber clicked her teeth before charging forward with her curved blades out besides her. Tenten started throwing her hands out and sending flying knives at the charging woman. She blocked them with the back of the blades and continued charging forward through the sparks.

Tenten pulled a sword out of her sleeve and charged forward as the two women crossed blades. Tenten swiped her blade and the robber matched her movements before attempting to cut across the bun girl's head. But Tenten leaned back and kneed her wrist while her hand was extended, disarming her of one curved blade and kicking it away.

The robber ducked and attempted to sweep Tenten's feet but she just jumped over her leg and swung her sword down only to scrap against the concrete. The woman in black flipped back up to her feet and swung her blade out and nearly knocked Tenten back.

They continued to push each other back and forth along the width of the street while the sounds of sirens started ringing out along the buildings.

The effects of the battle were taking hold on both women as Tenten's clothes became dirty and disheveled as the robber's clothes were riddled with cuts.

Tenten made one final slash before throwing her blade down at the woman's feet and causing her to jump back to protect herself. But Tenten charged into her chest and slammed into her with a unnaturally loud thud, the woman's eyes widening and losing her air.

Tenten grabbed her wrist and pulled her around before jerking her forward and slamming into her for a second time, sending her flying into the truck she had tried to steal with her companions. The female robber tired to hold herself back up with a hand on the truck when she noticed Tenten charging towards her. She gritted her teeth and gripped her blade before swinging it out at Tenten's face in an attempt to knock the girl out once and for all. But Tenten ducked under her blade and jumped back up before placing her feet against the side of the truck and leaping off it. Tenten flipped through the air for a moment before swinging her leg out and kicking the woman on the top of the head, planting her into the pavement and knocking her out for good.

Tenten stumbled back a little before yelping and landing on her butt. She was panting and looking over the unconscious woman lying in the street, the two men groaning into the airbags of the crashed truck, and the two guys pinned underneath the lamppost that had fallen over. She heard the sounds of sirens approaching closer and closer and knew that the cops were gonna show up at any moment.

Tenten then realized how much time had passed fighting these guys and gasped before forcing herself back up to her feet. She stumbled a little but forced herself to keep moving along the sidewalk.

Tenten was panting lightly before she finally arrived at her destination. She leaned against the wall for support as the front door opened and her dad popped out, "Tenten! Break's over! Time to get back to work!"

He closed the door immediately and Tenten slowly reached for the sign she used earlier. She lifted it over her head, "E-everyone, come to Tamura Weapon Manufacturing Center! The best weapon building help shop...in all...of Remnant."

Tenten fell flat on her face by the sidewalk and just let out some tired groans with occasional twitches. She needed a real break.

She couldn't wait to get to Beacon.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_Okay, the next and last trailer will be Sasuke's, which should probably be the shortest if I guessed._**

**_But it won't come out until after the 19th. It's the two year anniversary of another one of my stories and I need to update it._**

**_Please leave a review and tell me what you thought._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	9. S Trailer

Hunting or Bust

Extra: S Trailer

The last one.

Let's shine some very weak, bleary light on one of our heroes' origins.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"You sure? You were up all night yesterday practicing your stances and swipes again. You must be tired."

"I don't see why you even bother watching me. You have more important stuff to be doing with helping everybody else, right?"

"I can help the others and still watch over you. You're my little brother. I'll always put time aside to-"

"Okay, okay I get it! I'm ready!"

"All right then. Sasuke...close your eyes."

The young boy slowly closed his eyes until his vision turned into nothing but darkness. The only sensation now was the feeling of the wind moving through the untouched forest and running over him.

"Take a deep breath in through your nose..."

Sasuke inhaled until his lungs were full of air.

"And out through your mouth."

He exhaled that air in a long, calming fashion as serenity filled his body.

"I want you to block out all other noises. All other feelings. Just clear your mind and let your body take over. It's just you...and the ones you are going to face..."

"Mr. Itachi, we've packed everything up. We're ready to get moving now."

"In a minute. Sasuke's in the middle of training."

"Seriously?! That's awesome! I love watchin' the little squirt practice! Puts the rest of us to shame!"

"Well we're talking about a prodigy and a child from the direct Uchiha line. It's to be expected he can do amazing things."

"Hey guys get over here! Sasuke's about to slay some Grimm!"

"Oh sweet!"

"Wait up! I wanna see!"

"Looking good out there kiddo!"

"Keep it up and you'll be joining us on hunts in no time!"

"Don't screw up!"

Sasuke kept his eyes closed but felt his eyebrow tick and started to grumble under his breath. As everyone continued to yell, cheer, or goad him before he even started, he spoke just loud enough for his brother to hear him, "Do we have to let them all watch? They're sort of throwing off my concentration."

"Don't mind them. Noise and distractions are just expected to occur in a real battle. If anything they're helping by watching you."

"Pfft. I doubt that."

His brother's voice reached him again, "Focus. Clear your mind. Block everything else that clutters your head. All that matters is that you're aware of your surroundings. It's just you...and your enemies."

Sasuke focused his thoughts and the sounds of their voices and background noise faded into nothing. His mind was clear. Only focused on the task at hand. The young boy slowly opened his eyes and looked at his new surroundings.

The entire world was black and white. The sky was pitch black. Like the night when it was void of stars or when the moon wasn't shining over them. The ground was white. There were no blemishes, trees, rocks or objects to been seen to ruin the perfection of the snow-like ground. And the broken moon hung over him. Flawed...yet beautiful all the same.

Sasuke turned around and saw the creatures of darkness start to approach him menacingly. There were dozens of different Grimm that started making their way to the young Uchiha, their deep red eyes fixed on his form as a few Beowolves started letting out some low growls.

Sasuke turned towards the approaching monsters and got into a stance before pulling his blade out of its sheathe. He slowly gripped _Vollmond Reflexion_ with both hands and held it out firmly in front of him and at the monsters.

They roared and started charging at him as he narrowed his eyes and dashed forward.

One Beowolf lunged forward with its claws out and Sasuke parried the sharp attack away with his blade before turning on his feet and slicing off the beast's jaw. He turned around again before bringing his sword up and back down on the Grimm's neck, slicing its head off its body.

Sasuke looked back and noticed another Beowolf come charging in behind him to attack his back. But the young Uchiha leapt over its head and skewered his blade through its skull before perching himself on the hilt of his sword. Several more Grimm leapt towards him as he pulled his sheathe off his side and cocked its fore-end before aiming towards them.

***Bang*Bang*Bang*Bang***

The Grimm bodies fell to the ground with their heads blasted off as Sasuke flipped off and pulled his blade out. As he landed, he brought his sword down and sliced through an Ursa's chest before jumping up and slashing through its whole body.

Sauske kicked it over and ducked under another claw before thrusting his sword upwards and piercing through a Beowolf's head. Sasuke followed through and forced the creature over before he kicked the hilt of his sword hard enough to push the rest of his blade out of the Grimm's head and into a medium-sized Nevermore.

Sasuke launched off the Beowolf's body and into the air as he split-kick a pair of Ursi at the same time. He cocked his shotgun and landed on a Boarbatusk's back before placing the barrel against its head. He blasted the monster's head off and used the extra power to launch himself into the air and grab his blade again.

He landed in a crouch and spun in a circle, slashing the legs off more of the creatures around him before he swiftly stabbed them in the head.

Sasuke pulled his blade out of the Grimm's corpse before standing up and taking a moment to gather himself. He noticed the sound of slithering and hissing start to surround the area and looked around to try and spot the source. He felt a cold sensation start to spread over his back as he looked over his shoulder at the large shadow hovering over him.

The white head of a King Taijitu.

And slowly slithering in front of him was the black head.

The two snake heads methodically swayed and circled around the young Uchiha like they were set to their own internal rhythm. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and made sure that both heads were still just on the ready as he slowly ran his fingers over the grip of his sword.

The black head jutted forward and Sasuke diverted its bite by swinging his sheathe against its mouth and forcing it to the side. The white head lunged down at the young boy after he had swatted its twin but Sasuke jumped away from it before flipping away as far as possible.

Sasuke lifted himself off the ground and watched as the two snake heads started baring their massive fangs at him. They lurched forward and attempted to bite down on the young swordsman again but he jumped over the white snake's head and rolled on its back before running along its body.

The black head came flying down at him and Sasuke had to block its fang with his sword, sparks flying near his face as the tooth scrapped along the steel. As the black head flew by him, the white head had turned around and snapped at him as he fired his gun in the air and was able to barely dodge the bite.

Sasuke slid across the white earth and held out both his sheathe and sword as the two snake heads slammed against them. Sasuke struggled to keep his guard up as the two massive heads of the King Taijitu continued to force him back. His footing finally faltered and Sasuke was thrown backwards with amazing force and bounced off the white ground several times. He finally just started to roll over the ground as the two snakes hissed and bared their fangs at him.

Sasuke groaned and weakly lifted himself back up on his hands and knees as the double-headed snake darted towards him with a menacing hiss. Sasuke looked towards the white and black Grimm monster with his eyes changing from their normal onyx black to deep red with three figures circling around the pupil. He cocked the gun of his sheathe and fired it at the ground to propel himself forward towards the snake and sliced through the black snake's mouth.

He slid against the ground as the black head of the snake let out a painful hiss as its mouth hung open by its fibers. It reared back and looked at the object of its hatred before lunging forward again as it bared what remained of its fangs at the ivory-haired boy. Sasuke jumped back and slammed his sword and sheathe down on top of its head with a resounding slam.

The black snake lifted itself back up and lunged at the boy but the spry young man just flipped and jumped away from its bite. His reflexes and combat ability increased several fold as he dodged the Grimm's bite with very little effort after activating his ability.

With one last grand attempt to pierce through the boy's body, the snake Grimm lunged forward as Sasuke jumped and barely dodged the snake's bite before he started rolling along its body again. After a moment he pierced his sword into its body to halt his roll and looked back up with calm yet determined eyes.

He pulled his sword out of its body and ran along the black scales before vaulting up over its head. It looked up at him and tried to snap at him one last time but Sasuke dodged before swinging his sword and lopping the Grimm's head clean off. Sasuke landed back on the ground as one of the King Taijitu's heads slammed into the white earth and settled there.

The white head of the Grimm looked towards the lopped off end of its other half before looking towards the boy that had done it. Sasuke turned towards his last remaining enemy as his red eyes peered into the beast's red eyes.

Sasuke slowly raised both arms and returned his sword to its sheathe as they slid into each other perfectly. Sasuke grabbed the fore-end on top of the scabbard and cocked it before holding it in place and reaching for the sword over his head. He lowered himself into a long stance as he stared at the Grimm looking back at him.

It let out one last long hiss before its shot forward with its mouth wide open and its fangs out to rip through Sasuke's body.

***Bang***

Sasuke fired his sword out of its sheathe and swung it over his head while ducking, slicing through the Grimm's head while it continued to lunge forward. Sasuke held the sword in exactly the same place at the Grimm's body pressed through it and finally lost its speed halfway down its stomach.

The Grimm landed on the ground lifeless while Sasuke was down on his knees halfway through its severed body. He stood back up with his head lowered as the various Grimm bodies surrounding him started to evaporate and fade into dust. The fight was over.

The Grimm were slain and they could never hurt another person again.

He had done the job required of any and every Hunter in Remnant.

But...it wasn't enough for him. Not for any of them.

Because his duty was different.

He followed a harsher and more difficult path.

Because no matter the danger...no matter the evil...he was one of the only people that could truly bear the weight it took to protect this world.

As the Grimm bodies faded away, new black figures started to emerge from the ground. Sasuke looked around as the silhouettes around him didn't appear like Grimm...but more like people.

No. They weren't people.

They were evil.

One of the figures sprinted forward towards the young Uchiha and jumped in the air before swiping at his head.

But Sasuke ducked down before swinging his sword and slicing the figure in half, drenching him and the white ground in red blood. Sasuke was undeterred by the sudden coat of red that covered his form as he peered through his bangs to see all of the figures start to charge towards him.

He gripped his sword and dashed forward as he slashed two of them across the chest, spilling more of their blood along the ground before they fell back lifeless.

Sasuke blocked a strike against his head and started matching his attacker with equal strength before he placed the end of his sheathe against its chest and blew a hole through it, blasting a cloud of red out the other side.

Sasuke returned his sword to its scabbard and used it to block several attacks at once before he pulled his sword out and slashed them to pieces.

The fighting continued on for so long that Sasuke had lost track of time. So many of these new figures emerged one after another that he was losing the strength in his arms and legs. But he didn't stop. He kept cutting and slashing through them, ending their lives instantaneously with the most efficient move.

That was how he was taught.

So that when the time came for him to take up the mantle, he would be prepared for anything.

Sasuke swung his sword through the neck of the last figure and he was left standing alone, gasping for air as his eyes changed back to their standard black. The once beautiful and pristine white earth was now drenched with blood as far as the eye could see. Sasuke struggled to catch his breath before trying to take a step forward.

Instantly, the blood covering the ground flew up into the air and formed red chains that wrapped around Sasuke shoulders, chest, and legs. They flew upwards until they reached what remained of the moon and secured themselves around its massive celestial body. He groaned and yelled, struggling and failing to escape the constraints that bound him to that spot. With one last guttural yell, Sasuke screamed to try and free himself before he fell to his knees and remained there in the silence.

He could not deny the past set behind him.

He was destined to follow the path set before him.

This was the life he and so many before him were tasked with taking.

And it was the life only they could take.

Because only they were strong enough to withstand the burden that came with the actions they made.

For the greater good of so many others.

...

***Schwip***

The chains were severed. Sasuke's eyes widened as he stumbled forward on his hands and knees. He blinked in shock before sitting up and looking at the figure that stood behind him with a sword out that slashed through the chains that once held him.

But this figure was different from all the others so far.

His body was clear, a stark difference from everything Sasuke had come to expect and know from the others.

The figure turned around and looked down at Sasuke with calm but uncertain eyes, something Sasuke never believed he would see in someone else but himself. They just stared silently at each other before the standing figure reached out and offered his hand.

Sasuke stared at it like it was a completely new concept for him. He knew what he was supposed to do...it was what he had been learning since he was a child...

But...now...

...

_"SASUKE?!"_

Sasuke was pulled out of his daydream when he heard Naruto's angry and desperate voice ring out from the Scroll in his hand. Sasuke blinked and looked around in surprise as he realized where he was again, sitting on the edge of another roof near the warehouse waiting for Naruto to notify him on the progress of the theft.

Sasuke placed the Scroll next to his ear, "Huh? What?"

_"What are you doing you idiot?! Did you not hear all the gunfire and me kicking ass?!"_

"S-sorry Naruto..." Sasuke looked behind him at the empty rooftop and the solidarity he found himself in. He continued, "I was-um-thinking about something."

_"Well pull your head out of your ass and get down to the warehouse! I knocked a few soldiers out but there are still a lot of them getting back up! And we can't open the cargo unless we have a security code and I think one of these guys I'm chasing has it! Make sure the place is clear for us to run when I get back!"_

Sasuke nodded, "Roger." He closed the Scroll shut before putting it away and standing on the edge of the roof. Sasuke looked over the edge before standing still and looking over his shoulder one more time.

No one was there. No one was watching him anymore. From here on out, he was alone.

...

He hated to admit it, but that was probably for the best.

No one had room for traitors like him.

Sasuke flipped his black hood over his head before he jumped off the side of the roof and prepared to secure their target.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_And we're finished. All the trailers are out and you've gotten a sneak peek at some of NKTS abilities, lifestyles, personalities, and pasts._**

**_If some of you have questions about their histories and abilities, I plan to get most of them addressed during the length of Volume 1. But I should warn you that not all the main characters will be sharing the spot light at the same time._**

**_Sometimes all twelve of them might be together and hang out. Sometimes it might just be one team or one group of people. Hell, sometimes it might just be two or fewer people getting the spotlight for a whole chapter._**

**_I have an entire semester of school to write about and most of it is up for free interpretation considering all that was ever shown in the series was the first day, somewhere around the middle, and the end of the term._**

**_I can already tell that it's going to be difficult. But at the same time it also seems like a whole ton of fun. And I can't wait to write about it._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	10. First Day Adjustments

Hunting or Bust

Dust 6: First Day Adjustment

Merry Christmas! And Happy Holidays!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

It was early on the first Monday morning of the new year at Beacon Academy. The sun was rising over the clouds and sending in a very gentle ray of light through the window of every room in the dorms. Small birds were singing and their light chirps echoed through the area with a tranquil beauty to them.

Kiba Inuzuka, new first-year student of Beacon Academy and member of Team NKTS, was sleeping soundly while snoring very lightly. Right now, nothing could ruin the peace of his slumber.

"This is not a good idea."

"Seriously. This is gonna end bad for the both of you."

"Oh stop worrying you two, it's gonna work and it'll be hilarious."

Slowly, an air horn was lowered by his head and held in place silently...

...

"WAKE UP KIBA!"

***HOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKK***

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kiba fell out of his bed and held his pounding chest as he felt his heart nearly pop out of its confines. The boy with the disheveled hair looked up to see his partner and team leader standing over him with a grin and an air horn. Naruto smiled, "Morning! Ready for our first day?!"

Kiba was still having a panic attack, "W-what?!"

"It's our first day at Beacon Kiba, we've gotta get ready!"

On further inspection, Kiba realized that Naruto was not wearing the clothes he had on yesterday or the pajamas he had worn the night before. Now he was wearing a black suit with gold-colored fabric along its lining and buttons, wearing a blue vest and white shirt with a red tie top it off. Sasuke was standing behind him wearing the same thing and Tenten was wearing the girl's uniform, a plaid skirt and brown jacket with a red vest and white shirt. The only difference from the rest of them was that Naruto was wearing another bandana over his head, this one green in color.

Sasuke sighed tiredly, "Sorry about that Kiba."

Tenten nodded, "We tried to wake you but you were out like a light."

"And as team leader and your partner it's my duty to make sure you can wake up! So I found an air horn and the rest is history!" Naruto crossed his arms and smiled before looking down at his partner after he stopped panicking, "So how about now Kiba, ready for our first day?"

Kiba's fist dug into Naruto's gut and lifted him off his feet before he returned back to the ground. Sasuke and Tenten looked in mild surprise as the whiskered boy's knees shook and he fell to the ground groaning, "T-that's the spirit."

While Naruto was groaning on the floor and clutching his gut, Kiba exhaled with a ticked off tone before turning to his other two teammates, "He's not gonna do this every day, right?"

Tenten deflated, "I hope not."

"He won't." Sasuke reassured them with a nod of the head, "I'm pretty sure he's just excited because it's the first day. I'm pretty excited too to be honest."

"Well I'm tired. Fighting a bunch of Grimm and nearly dying usually has that effect on me." Kiba said while scratching the back of his head, "Where the hell did he even get an air horn?"

Tenten hesitantly raised her hand, "Sorry. My bad."

He looked at her in confusion, "Why the hell did you even have an air horn?"

She thought for a moment...before just shrugging her shoulders like she didn't have a proper answer.

Kiba narrowed his eyes in anger before rubbing the last of the sand out of his eyes. He looked around, "What time is it?"

"About 7:50."

Kiba's eyes widened before he looked at the two of them in confusion, "Classes don't even start for another hour! Why the hell are we up already?"

Naruto popped back up to his feet and slammed his hand down on Kiba's back, "Because we need to unpack all our stuff and style the room! We're living here now, we've got to make it look just as awesome as us!"

Kiba sent him an uninterested glare, "You're making us decorate? Can't we do that later after classes or something?"

Naruto gave a cheeky smile and scratched his cheek, "We could but I was moving all of our stuff and it all accidentally fell out." They all looked towards the corner of their room to see all of their belongings, equipments, clothes and junk piled together into one big heap. Naruto smiled, "So I thought we might as well do it now and save us the time."

Sasuke and Tenten just stared at him accusingly while Kiba was nearly grinding his teeth in anger. After a moment, the boy with the red fang tattoos just sighed before walking towards the bathroom, "I'm gonna change. You guys get started without."

While Kiba was getting dressed, Team NTS smiled before they nodded and started working on the massive pile of crap.

They all had to help Tenten move any spare weapons, polishing equipment, maintenance kits, and clothes. She definitely wasn't a girly-girl like you saw in movies, but she still had her fair share of clothes.

Sasuke looked at his partner while picking up a pile of her clothes, "Um, Tenten, not to be rude but when are you ever going to need these many clothes for anything at a training school?"

"Hey, we're here for four years! I don't know about you guys but I want to be ready for just about any occasion I find myself in!"

Naruto and Kiba just shared a look and grumbled as they were forced to carry the bulk of Tenten's luggage through the room.

Kiba's stuff was much more expected and manageable compared to their female teammate. He had some clothes, extra rounds and equipment for his tonfa, and his toothbrush. He also brought a lot of pin-ups to decorate the empty walls of the room with posters of great TV shows and movies. But most of all...

"You got a kitten calendar?"

Kiba shrugged his shoulders, "It was a gift from my sister before I left. She said my time at school was gonna fly by before I realize it so I should try and keep track of it with." He turned to face them and smiled, "I didn't wanna argue because that usually ends with me and her yelling at each other and all the animals in the kennel joining in afterwards."

Sasuke and Tenten stared at the calendar for a moment before looking back at the boy, "I pictured you more as a dog person."

"Are you kidding? I love all kinds of animals man! They're awesome! Well me and my dog Akamaru are best friends but I really try not to pick favorites."

The two partners looked between each other before shrugging and accepting the fact that they'll have a little kitten calendar to count down the days for them from now on.

Naruto wasn't even paying attention as he had spotted the collection of Kiba's X-Ray and Vav comics on the bookshelf and was lounging on one of the beds while chuckling and smiling at the antics.

Sasuke and Naruto didn't have a lot to put away compared to the rest of their team. Sasuke just had some extra sets of clothes to hang up because the only other things he had with him are spare cartridges for _Vollmond Reflexion_ but he was going to put that in the special place they would be assigned to place their weapons in later today. Naruto was the same, having spare arrows and a maintenance kit for _Gatling Stormer_ and some other stuff to put in his special equipment pack. However the weirdest thing Naruto had to put away were the literal dozens of bandanas he kept in a special case in his bag. Apparently he liked to switch out the design and color of his accessory about every day for something new, which was odd to the two other members that only met him yesterday but an understood quirk Sasuke had come to accept.

After they were done, all four roommates stood by each other and looked over their work. Naruto clapped and knocked the dust off his hands, "Finished!"

Their room was decorated and customized with their personal belongings. Each of their desks was covered with their stuff and the walls had posters to give them a little more character. All that was standing out was the fact that their beds were positioned in a group together in the center of the room and made it a hassle to maneuver around.

The four young students stared at their predicament for a moment before Sasuke spoke up, "We need to do something about the beds."

Kiba looked around the room and noticed there was only a limited amount of free space left. He raised an eyebrow, "How exactly?"

Tenten looked around in concern, "We've got to find space for our the beds and the desks. I think the rooms were set up the best way they could be when we arrived."

Naruto looked around the room and held his chin in thought before an idea popped into his head, "Well, why don't we just see how some other people handle rearranging their rooms?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Okay so I fold the wide side over the smaller one. Push it through the loop. Bring around and over and through again and..." Jaune stared down at the neck-tie he had halfway completed before he started straining his brain and looking over at his partner, "Okay, I'm drawing a blank. I can't remember how the rest of it goes."

"It's all right." Pyrrha reassured him with a smile before she repeated the steps to him, "After you pull it through the loop again you have to turn it over the narrow end once more. Then you lead it through the loop one more time and then tighten the knot and you'll be finished."

Jaune nodded and slowly followed her instructions as he finished tying the tie and sliding it up to the end of his collar. He fixed it a bit before turning to Pyrrha as the red-head nodded, "Excellent job Jaune."

Jaune sighed, "I never learned how to do this back home. Dad always worked with clip-ons and I never thought about asking him about it." He grumbled with a nervous smile, "Kinda regret that choice now."

Ren was organizing the materials on his desk before turning to his leader, "You don't need to worry Jaune. It only takes a few times repeating the process to memorize how to do it. I'm sure you will learn it soon enough."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Ren."

"You should be glad you're just tying a knot." Nora said from her bed where she was comfortably lounging on her comforter and pillow, "Me and Pyrrha had to tie a knot, do up our vests, get our skirts right, and work with a bra! Now that's a hassle!" Nora sat up in her bed and looked towards the rest of her team, "Hey, we should get you guys to try on bras! That would be cool! Like a 'role reversal' game! Let's try that!"

"No(x3)."

"Awwwwwwww~." Nora slumped into her bed and laid there for a second before she lifted her head again, "I'm still hungry."

Pyrrha and Jaune couldn't stop their laughter at their new friend's strange thought process. She could change from one weird topic to the next without missing a beat. It was a strange behavior to get used to but still the girl's energy and happiness were infectious.

***Knock*Knock***

The heard the sound of tapping against their door. Jaune walked over to answer it and was met with the sight of Naruto and his team standing right outside. Naruto smiled, "Mornin'! We came for a visit!"

Jaune smiled in return once he saw his friend, "Hey Naruto, what are you doing here?"

"We came because we needed to ask you guys something."

Pyrrha looked over Jaune's shoulder and saw Team NKTS gathered outside their door. She welcomed them, "Good morning everyone. How did you all sleep?"

Tenten responded eagerly to her friend, "I slept like a baby. I don't know about the rest of these lazy guys."

Kiba grumbled, "I was sleeping nicely...stupid Naruto and his stupid air horn."

Ren stood up from his desk and walked over to join the conversation by the door, "What is it you all needed to ask?"

With JNPR's permission the four other teens walked into their room and looked around while Naruto answered, "We wanted to see how you guys set up your room. The way they set up our beds yesterday sucked but we didn't bother saying anything because we were all tired. Now we gotta fix it and we want to see how you guys did it."

Jaune pointed to the back of the room, "Well we didn't have too much stuff to add and the beds were already lined up against the wall so it worked out for us."

Nora jumped up in her bed with her hands on her hips, "It's efficient! And snug!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked around their tidy room. All four of the beds were positioned right next to each other in a line along the back wall. And their four desks were placed along the corner of the room by the door. It was definitely a good idea...but Naruto had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he didn't like it. Jaune walked up besides him, "What is it?"

"I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right about it." Naruto grumbled for a moment before he got another idea and ran out the door, "Let's ask Ruby and her team! I bet they can help!"

Naruto was glad that he got to room where he did because he was so close to his new friends. Team NKTS was right next door to Team RWBY and Team JNPR was right across the hall from them. So all three groups were placed together where they could hang out and talk with each other with no hassle at all.

Naruto knocked on the door as the others watched him from JNPR's door. The door opened and the short, black and red-haired team leader poked her head out. Ruby was wearing the same girl's uniform as the others but she had fastened her trademark red hood and cape to the back. She saw her friends and smiled, "Naruto, guys, good morning! What are you doing here?"

"Ruby, our room doesn't feel right and we need to rearrange our beds!" He looked at her expectantly, "How did you guys set up your beds?"

Ruby had a smug smile and she chuckled with a rather prideful edge. She smirked, "Well of course you guys would want to see our work and achievements. When we come together, my team can do things nobody else could even begin to dream of. For you see as our awesomeness blossoms and grows, it multiplies when we are together so-"

Naruto snapped his fingers in front of her face and brought her out of her dreamy state. He deadpanned, "Ruby. The room."

"Oh right, sorry." Ruby swung the door opened and threw her arms out with a grin, "Welcome to our humble abood!"

Naruto and the others peeked inside and looked around at the room's interior. The bookshelves and drawers were filled with all kinds of different books. One wall had a beautiful oil painting of a forest with red leaves, most likely a pricey purchase of Forever Falls. And on another wall was a poster of six odd men in different poses looking towards the camera and trying to act cool. And oddly enough their curtains seemed to have been sliced apart and tied together again with a sewing kit.

But the most noteworthy part was the way the girls had set up their beds. In what they could only guess was a sad attempt to make bunk beds, the four girls arranged their beds over each other with whatever they could find. The left set of beds had one of the beds precariously hanging over the other with a set of bedsheets to support it from the ceiling. The other side had the beds stacked together with a set of books that were uneven and appeared like they would fall off at any moment.

The other teenagers just stared at the scene with varying degrees of shock and confusion.

Ruby leaned in and pointed to the bed being hung with the bedsheets, "I'm the top bunk."

Yang was sitting on top of the bed stacked on the books with her legs swinging over the side. She waved at all of her new friends, "Hello~! How do you guys like the room? Pretty cool, am I right?"

Blake was sitting in the bed underneath her with her hands over her lap. She explained, "We actually just finished decorating a minute ago and are taking a moment to admire our work."

Weiss was sitting on the bottom bed on the left side with her arms folded and her legs crossed, a miffed scowl on her face. She shook her head with an obvious bit of displeasure in her voice, "I still say this was a dumb idea. Look at this scenario and tell me exactly what about it inspires confidence?"

Ruby turned around and shook her head with a smile, "Oh, she's just upset because she didn't get top bunk."

"I'm upset because I have a large wooden bed hanging dangerously over my head supported only by bedsheets I'm not sure were properly fastened!" Weiss responded by jumping out of her bed and pointing at Ruby's bed suspiciously, "The bed is still creaking! It shouldn't be doing that!"

Ruby waved off her concern, "Oh you worry too much. It's just settling."

"That's not settling! In no way does that sound anything like settling! I think that's the right amount of worrying in this case!" She looked at all the spectators watching from their door and demanded from them, "All of you! What do you think about this?! I'm right about this idea being moronic, right?"

Team JNPR and NKTS looked between the 'bunk beds' and the girls who would be sleeping in them for the foreseeable future. They looked between each other before they started voicing their opinions.

"W-well, it sure looks like you guys are starting to bond as a team."

"I-I agree. Working together like this is definitely beneficial for the dynamic of your group."

"But I think Weiss is right, this does seem a little dangerous to be sleeping under."

"It definitely needs to be thought out more."

"It's a stupid idea is what it is."

"I suggest you do not sleep under that for your own safety."

"But it looks so cool~! Ren, we should-"

"No(x3)!"

"Awwwww~."

Weiss crossed her arms and nodded before glaring at Ruby, "See, I told you!"

"Actually, as someone sleeping in the bottom bunk..." Blake looked up at the bed hanging over her head worryingly, "I have to agree with Weiss on this one. This whole set up fills me with concern."

She also wasn't too happy about the fact that they were using some of her books to secure the legs to each other. They were supposed to be handled with care and enjoyed in peace, not used as a device to keep the legs equally level.

Yang smiled and kicked her legs, "Well I've got a sweet view up here so I'm totally cool with it, just so you guys know."

"C'mon guys, this was a great idea we came up with!" Ruby desperately tried to defend the rearranging of their beds. She looked towards Naruto as he was the only one who hadn't said anything yet, "It's not stupid and dangerous, right?"

Naruto was thinking before he shook his head, "Nah, it's not the dumbest or most dangerous way to stack your beds." Ruby's expression brightened and she looked over at Weiss like she had made a major breakthrough. The heiress with the scar over her eye just crossed her arms and pouted.

Naruto grinned, "I know a much worse way to do the beds!"

Their eyes all widened and Kiba shook his head, "No no no! This ain't a competition so don't do anythin-"

Naruto dashed past everyone else and ran back into his team's room as the rest followed not long after. They looked through the door and just gaped at the sheer ridiculous fashion Naruto had decided to arrange NKTS's beds.

Taking a page from Team RWBY's book, Naruto had pulled out all the books and papers he could find in the their room and stacked them together. He then somehow was able to stack each bed on top of the other until all four beds made a very rickety tower that reached the ceiling of the room. He clapped his hands together before showing it to everyone, "Introducing the Tower of NKTS! A true set of bunk beds! How about it?! Now this is awesome!"

...

They were all just staring at the stacked beds like it was an absolute abomination. Weiss and Blake were just looking at it like it was the effort of a lunatic to even try it while Yang covered her face and shook her head. The usually exuberant Nora even silently agreed that it wasn't a good idea. Pyrrha and Ren looked at it nervously while Jaune and Ruby didn't want to be anywhere near it.

Tenten shook her head and scowled at Naruto, "I'm not going back in there until that thing gets taken apart."

Sasuke nodded his head, "There's barely any room for us to actually sleep in. Plus, it looks like it will topple over at any moment."

"Pfft, you guys just worry too much." Naruto waved off their concern before announcing proudly, "This is a personally built product of Naruto Uzumaki! I can swear on its sturdiness!"

Kiba just stared at him silently as his partner grinned. The wild looking boy took a step in and slammed his fist into the wall besides the door with a resounding thud. The Tower of NKTS started to sway and tilt over Naruto as the color left his face. Just before it fell, Kiba closed the door and stood outside with the rest of his friends.

***Slam*Crunch*Crash*Thud***

The sounds of the beds falling off their supports and crashing into the floor echoed through the door and they even felt the floor shake with the impact. They all just stood out their silently and waited for a response...

"Okay! Plan B!"

After Naruto's proclamation through the door, the sounds of heavy-lifting and moving furniture followed after. The noises all stopped and Team NKTS looked between each other hesitantly before opening the door again.

This time instead of a tower of beds stacked to the ceiling, the four beds were each neatly placed in a corner of the room with the drawers by each of one of them. The was no remaining space for the desks at this point so they were placed in a group together in the center of the room. Naruto was dusting off his hands after all the work before turning towards the door, "How about now?"

The large group of friends entered the room and looked around at the new design of the room. Kiba, Tenten, and Sasuke looked around critically before the raven-haired boy nodded his head, "This is much better."

The others nodded, "Cozy."

Weiss added, "But your desks are in an inconvenient spot."

"One problem at a time." Kiba said as he ran over and jumped onto the bed in the top left corner before he relaxed into it, "I'm just glad we're done with all this decorating crap. I'm gonna take a nap before classes start."

The group of teens laughed before they started looking around at the stuff in Team NKTS' room. Tenten sat in her bed in the top right corner and asked, "So are you guys ready for our first day?"

Pyrrha nodded eagerly, "I'm feeling quite nervous but also very eager to see what Beacon has to offer. The first class at nine is supposed to be an introduction to-"

"Wait! 9! As in 9 o'clock!" Weiss said in a panic as everyone looked at her. She reached behind her and pulled out her Scroll before turning it on and checking the time. Her face somehow grew paler before she turned the screen towards everyone else.

**8:58**

...

"Crap."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"The first classes should be commencing at any moment sir." Gylnda said as she ran her fingers over her Scroll while walking along the stone path besides Ozpin. She looked at the headmaster, "How do you think the first-years will react to their first day here?"

"I'm hoping that they'll realize how important it is for them to strive to be the best they can now that they are here." Ozpin stated as he walked along his campus with a refined and composed air around him. There were no students in sight because they had all arrived in their classes earlier than scheduled, no doubt excited for their first day. He looked towards his companion, "That being said, I also hope they won't feel too overwhelmed with their first day of duties."

Gylnda nodded her head, "Well sir, I suppose we will just have to expect the best from our new students, and hope that they can take these lessons seriously."

"WE'RE LATE!"

"THIS IS BECAUSE YOU MORONS WERE SPENDING ALL OF YOUR TIME REARRANGING AND MOVE YOUR FURNITURE!"

"WE WANTED TO GIVE IT A UNIQUE FEEL!"

"LESS ARGUING, MORE RUNNING!""

Gylnda and Ozpin watched as the twelve members of Team JNPR, RWBY, and NKTS came sprinting past them with an absolute panic in their run. Somehow they were all able to greet the two teachers with a quick greeting before dashing down the path and skidding along the concrete before moving towards the school. The only one that seemed to take any enjoyment in the matter was Nora as she threw her arms up and cheered, "WOOHOO! CHARGE!"

Gylnda and Ozpin just stared in silence as they watched their tardy students run as fast as possible to their destination. Gylnda pushed her glasses back up her nose and shook her head, "That does not inspire confidence."

Ozpin watched his students enter his school before nodding his head, "But it does promise that this year might be very interesting."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The next to last bell had just sounded throughout the school. It was almost the end of the first day of the new school year at Beacon. Only one more class before school ended.

Naruto groaned and rested against the wall next to the bulletin board, "Ughhhhhhh I'm tired. I forgot just how sleepy I feel being at school."

Tenten looked away from the bulletin board and over at her team leader, "Well don't fall asleep just yet. We've only got one more class and we'll be done for the day, so man up."

Kiba scratched his head while looking at a map of the school, "Actually, I gotta agree with Naruto. I thought Beacon would have a lot more moving around and weapon stuff and fighting. It's suppose to be an experience. So far it just felt like...a school."

He wasn't wrong about his description either. The first day of school had played out just like most schools. They had gone over the basics of what they would have to expect in each class. They were learning about literature, history, physical training, and sciences. They even met with their friends to eat together at lunch. They had learned that starting Wednesday they would be having sparring classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Ms. Goodwitch and that was at least exciting. But right now they were trying to find their Grimm Studies class in this massive labyrinth called a school.

Sasuke was looking all over the map before turning towards his teammates, "I don't see why you are so tired of it." A small smile came over his face, "I think this is amazing. I'm having a blast."

Naruto scoffed and folded his arms behind his head before leaning into the wall, "Of course you'd think that. Give it some time, the novelty always wears off on the newbies."

"Hey!" Tenten interrupted them while looking over the map on the board, "Will you guys shut up I'm trying to find where our next class is."

"Where was this on orientation day?! This would've been useful in not walking around like a blind idiot!"

Naruto just sighed and closed his eyes while relaxing against the wall. He listened to his teammates talk about where they had to go for the next class. Naruto slowly opened his eyes again and just looked around the hallway for something interesting.

His eyes stopped when he saw another girl leaning against the wall opposite to him outside the girl's bathroom. She stood there patiently with a pair of books in her hand while she looked at her foot kick along the floor. She was wearing the girl's uniform and had long brown hair going all the way down her back.

But the most noticeable part of the girl's appearance was the fact that she had two large, fluffy rabbit ears coming out the top of her head. Indicating that she was a rabbit Faunus.

The brown-haired Faunus was rearranging some papers in her hands before holding onto them tightly and waiting patiently outside the bathroom. She looked around at all the new students roaming through the halls until she spotted someone across the hall from her looking in her direction.

The boy had whiskers and blond hair peeking out from beneath his green bandana. He caught sight of her eyes before he smiled and waved at her. The rabbit girl blinked in surprise and started looking around to see who he was waving at. But when she realized that she was the only person standing in place around them, she looked towards him in surprise. He kept his smile and lowered his hands into the pockets of his pants.

She immediately felt very self-conscious and nervous at the idea that someone was greeting her and she hadn't responded back yet. She fumbled with the books and papers in her arms for a moment before righting herself and taking a moment to breathe. She looked at him and gave a very small, nervous smile before she returned the wave. Only to immediately pull her hand back and hold her books in place.

Naruto's smile grew now that he got a friendly reply from the girl.

"There it is!" Tenten announced while pointing at a space on the map, "Grimm Studies! On the other side of the building! C'mon, we'll be late if we don't hurry!"

Team NKTS ran ahead while Naruto brought up the back, walking at a leisurely pace as he didn't feel like wasting energy straining himself. He knew they would make it on time either way so he just watched his friends run while he sent another goodbye wave to the rabbit girl.

She watched the strange boy leave and waved goodbye before she was left standing in the hall by herself. She thought for a moment and titled her head in confusion at what had just happened.

The door behind her opened and a girl wearing sunglasses and a beret walked out while rubbing her hands. She tapped the bunny girl's shoulder and motioned for her to follow, "C'mon Velvet, can't keep Fox and Yatsuhashi waiting."

Velvet just stood there absentmindedly while her thoughts were on someone else.

Coco snapped her fingers in front of Velvet's face, "Hey? You in there? Where'd you go Velvet?"

The Faunus girl shook her head and responded with an accent in her voice, "H-Huh? Oh, s-sorry Coco, I was distracted."

"What? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Not really, I just saw someone and waved at them."

"Was it a guy?"

"Y-yes."

"Was he hot?"

"W-what?" Velvet's face turned red and she stuttered, "I-I don't know! I was just waving at him!"

"Not that hard to figure if he was hot then. If someone like you took the time to wave at someone you didn't know then that guy must be something else. Details, girl, details."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"The creatures of Grimm. No doubt all of you have become acquainted with these beasts in your lifetimes."

The man was the professor and lecturer of Grimm Studies, Peter Port. He was a rather portly man, short in stature than most others with a large belly. His wore a burgundy suit with large boots that accompanied his grey hair and bushy mustache. He sauntered along the ground floor of the lecture hall as all of the students present focused on him, "Now when I say Grimm, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? Evil? Terrifying? Monster? Demon? Well from here on out you shall be able to associate them the same way I do when I spot a Grimm...prey."

A few of the students started to ease into their seats as Professor Port continued his speech, "Yes, as Huntsmen and Huntresses it is our duty to stand up to all forms of Grimm no matter how large or intimidating they may seem. As the protectors of the peace in Remnant, we are charge with upholding this unity and tranquility for as long as we can!"

"AAAAA-YEP!"

Everyone in class turned around and stared at the one boy who had enthusiastically popped out of his seat and cheered. He immediately regretted that decision and sat back down embarrassed.

Naruto and his team were sitting further up the rows while looking down as the professor continued talking as he started dipping into his own personal stories of his heroism and how he killed Grimm. Naruto's eyes slowly panned around the room as he spotted Pyrrha diligently taking notes besides Jaune who just seemed uninterested in the bombastic stories. Ren was listening closely while Nora had already slumped into her chair to take a nap. And Team RWBY was in the front row, directly facing Port as he told his tales.

A piece of folded paper bounced off his forehead and Naruto was brought back to attention. He looked down at the little paper projectile before trying to spot who shot it at him. His eyes landed on Ruby who turned around for a moment and pointed at the paper. He opened it up and read what it said...

_I must do my doody!_

Immediately followed by a crude image of a large ball with arms, legs, and a mustache with stink lines coming off him.

Naruto had to stifle his laughter as he snickered at the picture. He immediately started writing underneath the drawing before folding it into a paper airplane and throwing it down towards the younger girl. She caught it before spreading it open and giggling joyfully. Her teammates looked at her and she showed them the paper.

_Ugh! So much doody! Blah! Blah! Blah!_

There were little voice bubbles with the words 'blah' written in them for special effect.

Yang snickered and shook her head while even Blake covered her mouth to hide her giggles. Weiss...

Just stared at Ruby with a disapproving, unamused glare.

"And that is why my grandfather consistently smelled like he had dead trout on his person! But enough about my childhood! This week, we will be taking the time to evaluate what it means for you to be Hunters that shall exemplify our way of life and bring honor to his great academy! Specifically, what it means to work in a team!" Port held his arms behind his back and started walking along the floor, "Now since all of you have passed your initiation test, you are paired in groups of four that you shall stay besides for your time here. And the purpose of these teams is to establish teamwork and camaraderie with your fellow Hunters. Now, among your groups, there is one person chosen by the headmaster himself as the distinguished leader to brave the path ahead and lead you through battle."

The leaders in question sat up at the acknowledgement and nodded their heads at the truth.

"Your leader will be what comes to define your group with their strength, cunning, intelligence, skill, maturity, focus, honor, and wisdom."

...

Okay...that may have been a little less true.

"To lead your teams through any hardships and difficulties is the most important role of a leader! Now I hope all of you have brought your combat gear with you, because in my class I like to call on some volunteers to help with my lectures. Now, who'd like to come up front and show us what it means to be a true leader?"

Before anyone else could respond, Weiss sat up in her chair and raised her hand, "Professor, I would be honored to participate!"

Port nodded his head, "Ah, Miss Schnee! Eager to participate! I admire that in a student!" He waved for her to come over, "Grab your battle garbs and prepare for a fight! It's time to show everyone how to fight a Grimm!"

Weiss stood out of her chair and moved down the row before heading towards the door, ignoring Ruby's cheers of, "Woohoo! Go Weiss! Show them what Team RWBY can do! Yeah!"

Weiss just rolled her eyes before heading off to grab her clothes. She wasn't just going to show them what she could do...

She was going to show them what a real leader should be able to do.

What a Huntress could do.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_Now that we're back in business, I need to start thinking up what to do during the events showed between episodes._**

**_One step at a time._**

**_Thank you guys for reading this story and encouraging me to keep with it. Love you guys._**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	11. Swallow the Pride

Hunting or Bust

Dust 7: Swallow the Pride

One Died of a Pun

The Killer was Killed

And then there was One

The people that have been keeping up with the recent Rooster Teeth video series...you know what I'm talking about.

Check out the RWBY Centuries AMV on my page. It. Is. Amazing.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Jaune sat in his chair impatiently while looking down at the large presentation stage in their Grimm Studies class. He had watched Professor Port wheel out a large black cage as something snarled and growled menacingly inside the bars. He gulped and leaned towards his partner besides him, "Um, Pyrrha...did Weiss just volunteer to fight a Grimm?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes Jaune, she indeed volunteered to fight the Grimm." She smiled before looking back down towards the stage, "I am actually quite excited to see how she performs. She always seems to carry herself with a composed and focused mind. And she proved she has a variety of techniques and abilities in the battle against the Nevermore. I am sure she will make quick work of the Grimm."

Jaune still had a conflicted expression as he still seemed confused. He asked, "Yeah but isn't it dangerous?"

"Of course it is dangerous." Pyrrha answered him in total honesty as she narrowed her eyes at the rumbling cage. She contiuned, "Any time we choose to fight a Creature of the Grimm, we put our lives on the line. But that's the task we have taken upon ourselves. To face our fears so we may overcome them is one of the first tasks we must conquer to become the first line of defense against the darkness."

Jaune still didn't seem very comfortable with the idea of the white-haired heiress facing one of the terrible beasts by herself. Pyrrha looked over and saw the concern in his face before she smiled, "There's nothing to be worried about Jaune. Weiss is a strong fighter and Professor Port will no doubt be watching diligently at all times in case he is needed."

After a moment, Jaune had a weak smile and nodded in agreement, "Yeah...yeah you're right. She'll be fine."

"Woohoo! We're gonna see some fighting!" Nora cheered from her seat, waking herself up from her nap in anticipation of a good brawl.

Ren tried to calm his friend's excitement, "Nora, please don't yell, we're still in class. And don't be so excited about a fight one of our friends might be injured in."

"Oh, stop worrying Ren! Weiss is a big girl! Well, not really big because she's actually kinda small but you can be tough without being a big guy! Or girl! Anyway she was pretty tough with all the Grimm yesterday so she'll be fine! Probably! Maybe! I should've brought popcorn!" She then jumped out of her seat, "YEAH! BATTLE! WE COME FOR THE WHOLE SEAT BUT WE ONLY NEED THE EDGE!"

Most of the people looked at the orange-haired girl as she whooped and cheered. Pyrrha and Jaune silently looked up at her in surprise before looking towards Ren as he lowered his head. He looked towards his team, "She really likes watching wrestling."

"MISTER DIDDLEZ! WOOOOOOOO!"

Naruto was shuffling in his seat, not as excited as the ginger girl across the aisle but still eager to see some action. He tapped his hands on the desk, "All right! This is way better than some stupid lecture class!" His smirk fell into a mild scowl, "Man I should've raised my hand quicker! Stupid Weiss, getting picked first and having all the fun."

Tenten in confused shock, "You'd really rather fight a Grimm than just sit down at a desk peacefully and take notes?"

Naruto immediately answered, "Yes. Yes I would. Any day of the week."

Tenten nodded her head, deciding not to pry and just accept her teammates odd personality. Tenten sat up in her seat and waited for the heiress with the scar to return from getting changed into her fighting clothes so she could duel the Grimm. She spoke up to her team, "How fast do you think Weiss will beat that thing?"

"Can she beat it?" Kiba groaned as he rested his head on his arm in boredom, "She's a princess. They're not usually made out for fighting monsters. I mean she's whiny, loud, and can't seem to focus on one problem without complaining and blaming it on someone else." Kiba shook his head, "Plus you can't fight in a skirt and heels."

"Don't judge books by their cover Kiba." Sasuke said with a contemplative look on his face from the end of the row, "You'd be surprised what will happen to your expectations if you keep them so narrow like that."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, "I'm mean sure she was kinda whiny but she fought pretty well, even in heels. And she's Ruby's partner and she's trusts her so that's all I need to know she's strong."

Kiba shrugged his shoulders, "Okay. Whatever."

Tenten looked at the wild-looking boy in confusion before looking over at her partner. She saw the focused look on his face, "Are you thinking about how she'll fight it?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I'm thinking about why she wanted to fight in the first place."

The door on the lecture stage opened up and Weiss walked out in her signature white outfit and rapier strapped to her waist. She carried herself with a regal, clearheaded, and confident air as she stopped on the other end of the stage away from the rustling cage.

The tense silence was broken by her teammates suddenly cheering her on. Yang roared, "Yeah! Kick butt girl!"

Blake nodded and smiled, "Show us what you can do!"

Ruby cupped over her mouth, "Yeah, kill it Weiss! Show them how great Team RWBY really is!"

Weiss just rolled her eyes in annoyance and tried to ignore her spirited partner's cheer.

Port raised his weapon that was a mix of a battle axe and old blunderbuss. He looked towards the young lady, "Are you ready, Ms. Schnee?"

Weiss responded by pulling _Myrtenaster_ out from her side and raising it up to her fencing stance, ready for battle. The professor nodded, "Then let the battle begin!" He swung his axe down and destroyed the lock on the cage.

The cage fell open to reveal the large form of a Boarbatusk trot out. It slowly moved forward, looking around and surveying its new surroundings as it spotted people moving back in their seats in worry. It then looked forward and spotted the white-haired girl standing there facing it. It started running its hooves over the stage before darting forward and letting out a guttural roar.

Weiss stepped to the side and avoided the Grimm while slashing her rapier over its body but to no avail. It swerved and dashed at the white-haired girl again but Weiss jumped over it and made sparks as her sword clashed against its bone-like armor. It turned around and started wildly waving its tusks back and forth to rip up her legs but Weiss continued to jump away from danger.

"Go Weiss!"

"You can do it!"

"Kill it already!"

As various people started to yell and cheer, Weiss ignored them and continued to focus on the Grimm in front of her. She pulled her sword back before lunging forward with a thrust but the Boarbatusk leaned down and pushed the tip of her sword back with its armor. Weiss stumbled back and the Grimm charged forward but the heiress somersaulted out of the way.

As she landed, Weiss waved her rapier and several blue Glyphs started appearing around her. She flicked her sword and white blasts of energy started flying towards the Boarbatusk before it curled up and started spinning towards her while leaving a trench behind it.

The white blasts impacted against the Grimm's armor without any notable results and forced Weiss to dodge to the side and avoid any injury.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and growled in anger at the results she was getting in the fight. If she wanted any real result she needed to strike its belly where there was little armor protecting it.

"Weiss, hit its underbelly!"

"Aim for its stomach!"

"Knock it over!"

"Kill it already! Throw the thing all over the room and into the sky before crashing it back in the ground!"

"Nora, she's not going to do that."

She shook her head and tried to ignore her classmates yelling before turning around to attack the Grimm again. But the Boarbatusk had already run up behind her and slammed its tusks down on her sword, forcing it out of her hand and to clatter against the marble stage. Weiss gasped and stumbled back before the Grimm swung its tusks into her stomach and knocked her across the stage and against the ground.

Several people groaned in sympathy with her pain.

Weiss pushed herself back up and heard the professor speak behind her, "Well Ms. Schnee, you have been disarmed! Do you wish to yield the fight?"

Weiss shook her head and focused herself as the Boarbatusk started spinning and launched itself towards her. Weiss ran forward and dove out of the way as it nearly slammed into her body. She hurried to her feet and ran towards _Myrtenaster_ but the Grimm cut her off again and forced her back. She was cornered and nearly to the wall as the Grimm started tapping its hooves on the marble and ready to attack again.

"C'mon Weiss!"

"Stay calm!"

Ruby yelled, "Weiss, you need to get your weapon back! Wait for it to run and-"

"RUBY! ALL OF YOU!" Weiss yelled in anger at the class, "SHUT UP!"

Everyone shut their mouths and sat back in their seats, Ruby especially feeling self-conscious about being yelled at by her partner.

The Boarbatusk spun towards her and the heiress jumped on top of Port's desk and over the Grimm as it broke through the desk and slammed into the wall. Weiss landed into a roll and picked up her sword before kneeling down and forming a large silver Glyph in front of her.

The Boarbatusk pulled itself out of the wall and looked back to see Weiss on her knee in the middle of the floor. It started spinning again and charged towards its prey before passing over the Glyph and being launched up into the air by surprise.

It let out a horrified shriek as it flailed around in the air before Weiss spun up to her feet and swung her rapier one last time. Another silver Glyph appeared over the Grimm before launching it back towards the ground at the same velocity. Weiss stood up and held _Myrtenaster_ over her head as the blade pierced the Grimm's stomach and broke through the other side.

Weiss stumbled to the side and let the Grimm's body fall to the ground before she pulled her blade out of the corpse. She was panting lightly as Port and the class started clapping for her, "Well done, Ms. Schnee, well done indeed! Exquisite! Rather unfortunate that you had to destroy my desk in the process but still very good work! Calculating, passionate, and with a flair for the dramatic! Keep it up and you will no doubt become a Hunter of great skill and prowess not unlike myself!"

Weiss nodded her head, "Thank you Professor."

"That's it for today everyone!" Port announced as the students started getting out of their seats, "Keep today's lesson and experiences in your mind until I see you all again! Remember to read chapters 1 and 2 in your books-"

"WE HAVE BOOKS?!"

"-and I hope you all enjoyed your first day at Beacon!"

The class started flooding through the door and Weiss followed not long after. She rubbed a hand over her face tiredly and sighed before she heard her young leader's voice catch her ear, "Weiss! Hey Weiss! Wait up!"

Weiss stopped and rolled her eyes as Ruby ran up to her with a hesitant smile, "That was a really good fight you had. You were so cool with those symbol things and the magic and stuff."

"They're called Glyphs."

"Right. Sorry." Ruby felt nervous as the tension around the white-haired heiress was palpable even to her. She started rolling her boot along the ground before asking, "Hey, we were gonna meet up with everyone else in the cafeteria for dinner...do you wanna come?"

Weiss was silent for a moment before shaking her head, "No. I'm...I'm going to get some fresh air." She turned around and started heading towards an exit, "I'll see you back in the room-"

"Wait, Weiss!" Ruby interjected before looking at her partner in confusion, "What's wrong with you? You seem angry...and not the same kinda angry you usually are. And why did you yell at us during class? We were just trying to help."

Weiss didn't answer and stayed quiet before sighing. She turned around and shook her head, "Ruby, do you think you're ready to be a leader?"

Ruby was silent and blinked a few times before titling her head, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you if you are ready to be a leader? The responsibility of leading a group of people through fire and danger and into victory. Do you think you're ready for that?"

Ruby was surprised by Weiss' intensity on the matter and thought hard about it. She hesitantly spoke up, "Well, I think I'm ready-"

"Really?" Weiss interrupted before pointing at the class that just finished, "Because it didn't look like you were taking it very seriously in there, considering you were playing around and yelling like a mad man."

Ruby was caught off-guard by the truthful accusations and lowered her gaze in shame. She whispered, "I thought you were gonna trust me to be your partner from now on?"

Weiss closed her eyes and calmed herself before looking at the younger girl, "Ruby, I know how hard you work, and that despite how you act you are actually a surprisingly competent fighter. But being a leader is different. You are in charge of leading a group of people. Understanding what they can and can't do while making sure you can cover for what they are unable to handle themselves." Weiss turned around and started to walk away, "Until you understand the responsibility you've been handed, I'm not sure you're ready to lead anyone."

Ruby stood there in silence as Weiss walked down the hall and out of her sight. The red-hooded girl slumped her shoulders and sighed as she sadly looked down at her own boots. Just as she felt like her and her stubborn partner had taken a step forward, she got pushed two steps back and told to stay there until she grew up.

Ruby was a little ticked that Weiss would say that she wasn't fit to be a leader yet. She was totally ready! She had killed a Nevermore and an Alpha Wolf yesterday along with her team! How much more ready to lead did she have to be than that?

But a very, very, very small part of her...was agreeing with what the white heiress said.

Naruto had run up from around the corner and saw Ruby standing there by herself. He tapped her shoulder, "Ruby?"

This startled the shorter girl, "Huh? What?"

"We're all waiting for you guys down the hall." Naruto looked around but didn't spot the white-haired Ice Queen anywhere in sight, "Where'd Weiss go?"

"Oh, she's...not hungry. She told us to go ahead."

"Oh, all right." He started heading back down the hall before looking back at his younger friend that was still stationary, "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm coming."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss slowly wandered around the large balcony on the side of the school as the sun started to set. She closed her eyes and started slowing down before plopping her butt on a bench. She propped her head up on her hands and elbows and looked towards the sun with a far-off gaze. She sighed and shook her head, "How did this happen?"

"Are you asking or are you just being rhetorical?"

"Eep!" Weiss shrieked as she jumped out of her seat and away from the bench with a hand on her chest.

Standing behind the bench with his hands in his pockets was the raven-haired swordsman of Team NKTS. He waved to her, "Hello again."

"Oh, it's you." Weiss took a deep breath and fixed her skirt before trying to regain her unflappable state. She coughed before asking the boy, "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be eating with the others?"

"Well I saw how peeved you were after class and fighting the Boarbatusk. I guess I can understand after being yelled at by most of the class while you were trying to concentrate. But then I heard you arguing with Ruby and storm off out here."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Are you following me?"

"More like worried about what's troubling you." He inquired, "So what's wrong?"

"I don't know how well you think you can read a person but my thoughts are none of your business." Weiss huffed as she started walking away, "And there is nothing wrong so don't bother trying to read into anything."

"Okay but I'm willing to listen with an open ear and I don't think it's a good idea to go back to your room if you're upset with Ruby."

Weiss stopped in place. Her shoulders were shaking before she hung her head and sighed. She turned around with a slight scowl, "Okay, fine, if you insist."

Sasuke had a small smile on his face after convincing the rather stubborn girl.

Weiss sat back down and started to explain her thoughts and hesitations about the youngest member of the team being the leader of their group. And while Weiss complained, Sasuke stood by the bench with a welcome ear. Weiss finished off, "So now I'm questioning if Headmaster Ozpin was right in choosing her for the position of leader, and if she can truly handle the duty placed upon her properly." She let out a long sigh at finally being able to convey her worries before looking up at the Uchiha, "So...do you have anything to say about that?"

Sasuke contemplated and rubbed his chin in deep thought. He grunted and answered, "I think you're worrying too much."

"..."

"..."

Weiss just groaned and hung her head, "That's what I get for trusting a stranger with my worries."

"Look, what this all boils down to is your thoughts that Ruby isn't ready to be a leader."

"She's not!" Weiss replied, "She's immature! Impatient! She doesn't pay attention in class! It's not what's to be expected in a leader!"

Sasuke crossed his arms, "So do you think you're more capable as a leader? Are you angry that it wasn't you that was picked?"

"Yes!" Weiss immediately pulled back, "I-I mean no! I-I mean..." Weiss looked down at her lap with a guilty shame as she shook her head, "I don't know."

Sasuke put his hands on his hips and thought for a moment, "Weiss, from what I saw of you fighting yesterday, you're definitely in the top tier of students in the first year. Quick. Lots of skills. A bit stubborn and hard to work with-"

"Hey!"

"-but nothing you can't work around if you tried." He shrugged his shoulders, "But just like you have different quirks and ways to deal with things, Ruby probably has her own ways too. You just need to give her time to show it."

"But she's just a kid."

"Not much younger than us. Technically we're all kids."

Weiss narrowed her eyes, "But don't you think Ozpin might have made some mistake along the way? I mean you seem more like a leader than that buffoon with the rag."

Weiss didn't know Sasuke very well but from first impressions he seemed like a very collected individual. He carried a calm confidence that didn't dip into arrogance and he appeared very skilled, given the fact that he had dodged an Alpha Wolf's swipe to carry her across a bridge in an instant without hesitation.

Sasuke gave a slight nod, "Well I can't argue that Naruto is an idiot sometimes...actually most of the time..."

"And you still think he's ready to be your leader?"

Sasuke sighed for a moment and thought before he looked at the heiress, "I've known Naruto for some time before we came to Beacon, and to be honest, when I first met him I didn't hold him in very high regard. I mean I lowered the bar really, really low for what I expected of him. And sure, he was reckless and stupid, but he never let me down. He stuck by my side through a lot of hardships and now it just feels natural to run by his side. Sure our leaders might not be the smartest but maybe what we need isn't a cynical genius that can lead us through every scenario possible. But instead, we have someone that can run by our side and help us through everything."

Weiss looked up at him as the sun started setting behind them and the falling light spread their shadows across the balcony. A conflicted look came across her face and she asked, "But can they really lead us through everything all by themselves?"

"Well that's the thing about being on a team, Weiss. They're not all by themselves." Sasuke smiled as he looked up at the large towers of the academy with a fond expression, "We help them through what they can't handle by themselves, and in return they will help us when we can't do it ourselves. Because I think Ozpin saw something in them that we usually can't see...something that will surprise us given time. We just...have to have a little patience."

Weiss blinked in surprise as she looked up at the raven-haired boy. Sasuke rubbed the back of his head and started heading towards the door back into the hall as he spoke up, "Just think about it. And give her another chance."

Weiss watched him walk back inside and she stayed seated in the bench as the sky started to darken. She leaned back in her seat and thought about Sasuke's words and the conversation they just had.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

It was late at night and most of the lights across the campus had been switched off. Weiss walked up to her room door and looked down to see that there was a faint light emanating from under the crack of the door. She pulled out her Scroll and unlocked the door before quietly pushing it open.

The rest of her team had fallen asleep peacefully with a lamp illuminating Ruby's bed from the headboard. The light wasn't enough to deter them from sleeping as Yang and Blake were bundled up beneath their comforters with Ruby sleeping over her covers and with one of her arms hanging off the side.

Weiss was honestly surprised they were able to sleep so soundly considering their beds were hazardous to their lives. But that didn't matter right now.

Weiss slowly walked over and stood on her bed to get a good look of Ruby's bed right over her. The young scythe-wielder had lulled herself to sleep after reading a variety of large books that were surrounding her resting form. She was so out of it that there was a bit of drool coming down her chin and she was snoring lightly. Weiss shook her head before gently shaking her partner's shoulder, "Ruby...Ruby..."

"Ga-hwah-chocolate pancakes!" Ruby woke up with a startle with one of her eyes half-lidded. She looked around absently before seeing the heiress standing by her bed, "W-Weiss!" Ruby stared fumbling with the books and picked one up, "I-I wasn't sleeping! I was reading!"

"That book is upside-down."

Ruby flipped it, "I was reading!"

"Sure." Weiss tapped her hands against the rim of the bed before stepping down, "I'm going to make some coffee."

Ruby blinked in surprise, "Huh?"

Weiss walked over to the coffee maker she had bought for late night sessions and started brewing a new batch. She poured it into a mug and picked up the sugar, "Is one spoon enough?"

Ruby was so surprised by the kind action Weiss was taking that she almost didn't hear the question, "Um, a little more."

Weiss added another spoon.

Ruby held her thumb and forefinger together, "A little more."

Weiss added another spoon.

"Y'know what, I'll just tell you when."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at her before sighing and picking up the whole dispenser. She tipped it over and poured a mountain of sugar into the coffee for several seconds.

"That's good."

"Okay, I'm going to have to make sure your teeth don't rot out before the year is over." Weiss picked up the cup and ran over to the beds before stepping up and handing the younger girl her drink.

Ruby gratefully took the mug, "Thanks."

Weiss and Ruby were silent for a moment, the sleepy girl taking a few sips of coffee to keep herself awake. Weiss spoke up, "Ruby..."

"Yeah?"

"I never really expected a lot from you as a leader."

"Oh...um, thanks?"

"No, what I mean is that was how I felt earlier. See, being a Huntress...I've wanted to be one all my life, just like you." Weiss leaned more into the bed as she relaxed and started telling Ruby the truth, "I came to Beacon thinking that if I followed a certain plan and path without any faults, I would become a Huntress no problem. Being partnered with you and put into a team...well, I'll admit, that wasn't part of any plan. And now that all of that has changed, I don't know what to do." Weiss chewed on lip for a moment before shaking her head, "But that's the thing...you can't control the future. And I can't predict how it will turn out with you as the leader."

Ruby looked at her oddly, "What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. You might be a little rough around the edges right now, but that doesn't mean that you can't be a great leader. And I'm sure you can be. Because despite everything that's been against you, I have seen that you can do amazing things when you want to. But I want you to know you don't have to do anything too big by yourself. I'll help you, and so will Yang and Blake. Because that's what it means to be on a team." Weiss was silent for a moment before a honest, kind smile came over her face, "And we wouldn't be the great Team RWBY without our fearless captain."

Ruby blinked in surprise before a smile grew on her face, she nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Weiss."

Weiss nodded and stepped down before moving to the bathroom, "All right, well don't stay up too late. I'll see you in the morning."

"Hey Weiss."

Weiss looked back as Ruby asked, "Are you sure you weren't just jealous that I got top bunk?"

Weiss just stared at Ruby for a good long time. Before an almost invisible smile came over her face, "Just a little."

Weiss continued and closed the door behind her as Ruby sat up and drank her coffee.

"Mmmmm~, sugary."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Would you both like to explain to me what this is?" Professor Port inquired as he held up the crude drawing of himself that had been passed around during yesterday's class.

Ruby sweated, "U-um, it's a doodle."

Naruto tried to save them both, "It's a caricature sir! Y-Y'know, one of the funny drawings at festivals and piers and junk!"

"Hmmm, then would you like to explain why you both were passing it around yesterday during my lecture?" Port asked sternly, raising one eyebrow so high that it disappeared underneath the rest of his mop of silver hair. The two students were stuttering and babbling as they tried to defend their case after class while students stuck around and watched.

Yang sighed and shook her head, "This is what they get for losing track of their doodle. They gotta learn to keep a tight hold on that stuff."

Blake sat against the row of desks and asked her partner, "Was it such a good idea to sign their names on the back like it was a piece of art?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I think they were just so proud of it they didn't want anyone to forget they drew it."

Weiss blinked in surprise, "Wait, how did Professor Port get a hand of it?"

"Don't know. But now they're paying the price."

"I guess they won't be drawing pictures during class anytime soon."

"You guys don't know Ruby."

Weiss was confused by how Ruby and Naruto had gotten caught before she caught sight of Sasuke and his team watching Naruto being admonished by their teacher. As Tenten stifled her laughs and Kiba cackled, Sasuke looked up and saw Weiss look down at him. He smiled and winked before looking back at the punishment for their fooling around.

"You two, while I must say I'm honored that you would try and capture my image in a drawing, I must say that your artistry is sloppy and poor at best." Port fixed his collar and stood up proudly, "Why, I remember a time when I was a young man and I had to help a renowned artist create a large variety of masterpieces for an exhibit."

Ruby and Naruto's eyes widened when they realized where he was going with his long-winded story. They shook their heads, "O-oh Professor, you don't have to waste your time telling us a story!"

Naruto agreed, "Y-yeah, we actually gotta head to our next class and-"

"Nonsense! This won't take long!" He grabbed their shoulders and forced them down into chairs before he started recalling the story, "Now once I had to gather up a variety of muds and clays so that they could be used for exotic painting. Something about giving the picture and earthy feel or what-not. Anyway-"

Ruby and Naruto were shaking in their seats with tears in their eyes as their teammates and friends laughed silently. They all started to walk out the door as their leaders silently begged and pleaded with them for help. They just waved goodbye before walking out and leaving the slackers to their punishment.

Weiss actually giggled lightly as she left. She would start believing in her partner and help her become a great leader that could handle everything she faced.

And Ruby's first lesson would have to be taking responsibility for her actions.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**_Done_**

**_So it was a pretty short chapter this time, but you can expect a few of these to pop up with this story. But even if it is short, I still want to make it a fun read. So here's what you can expect for the next chapter-_**

**_"IT'S BRAWL TIME! SETTLE IT IN SMASH!"_**

**_That's right! Fight time! Naruto is going to fight someone with all his might and skill! The only question is who will it be?_**

**_And that's where I leave it up to you._**

**_For the first time ever I'm asking you, my lovely audience, to pick the fighters of this battle! Who from Team RWBY shall our favorite whiskered blond find himself squaring off against?_**

**_The scythe-wielding red speedster!_**

**_The technique Ice Queen in white!_**

**_The tricky beauty in black!_**

**_Or the buxom brawler of yellow!_**

**_Leave a review and tell me who you want to see Naruto fight in the next chapter! If you give me a reason you think they should be the ones to fight, then there's a better chance I'll pick them!_**

**_I won't update this story until I've updated every one of my other stories first, so you have some time. Think it through and give me your choice!_**

**_We'll be waiting!_**

**_ReadxReview_**

**_Thank You and Bye_**


	12. Attention: In Memory

In Memory

To those who have not yet heard the news, several days ago Monty Oum, chief animator of RVB Season 8-10 and Creator of RWBY was suddenly and unexpectedly put into critical care. Over the next several days, thousands of friends, fans, and artists alike have sent their thoughts, prays, funds, and talents towards raising awareness for his condition and hoping a speedy recovery for him and his family.

Sadly, on February 1 2015 at 4:54 PM, Monty Oum passed away from a severe allergic reaction.

This has not only been a devastating blow to his family, but the RT community and those that followed in his footsteps.

Monty Oum was a visionary. He was a man who came up with an idea and followed through with it to bring us some of the most amazing and unbelievable content we have ever seen from one man.

Some of his most renowned work was creating shorts like Haloid, Dead Fantasy, the first Animated sequences in Red vs Blue, and of course RWBY.

He was one of the hardest working men you could ever hear about.

And now we are left with his loving memory.

In honor of Monty Oum, Rooster Teeth and his close family are asking everyone, in lieu of flowers, to follow your dreams and create something beautiful.

Because in his own words,

"Never let anyone tell you that something is impossible."

So follow your dreams and if you have something you believe in but are too scared to follow, throw aside that fear and make it happen. No one can tell you your work is crap. No one can tell you you can't do it. If you want to write something, grab a pen or a laptop and start writing it down. If you want to make a TV show, get off your ass and make it happen. If you want to make a web series, just follow the footsteps of this amazing man and you could finally see that your dream is possible.

Monty Oum is survived through his family, his friends, and all of us.

Let's not let him down.

Monty Oum. 33 years old. June 22 1981- February 1 2015.

You will be missed Monty.

We aren't a community. We are a family. A family that will love you till the end of our days.

Thank you.


	13. Full Throttle Brawl

Hunting or Bust

Dust 8: Full Throttle Brawl

RWBY will go on. Miles, Kerry, Shane, and everyone at Rooster Teeth respect Monty's dream far too much to let it die out so easily. They already had stuff planned up to Volume 5, apparently. We just have to trust them and hope for the best.

Even so, me and many other writers on this site will keep writing our stories to expand and fortify the beautiful world he showed and created for us.

In Monty's name.

So here we go the fight you guys have voted for.

I gathered the points by how you guys reviewed it. If you left a name, that was one point. If you left a reason, any reason at all, that was two points. And while it was close (like really, really close), one lucky(?) lady got just a few points more.

Now, on with the show!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"HA!" The boy with the staff yelled as he spun on one knee and attempted to sweep his opponent's leg out from under them. But she jumped over the staff and swung her blade over her head before swinging it down towards the boy. He kicked his leg up off the ground and jumped back before rolling along the floor and jumping back to his feet.

The girl landed on her feet and placed a hand on her broadsword to steady her stance before she activated her Aura and used the electric Dust in her hilt to power her blade. She charged forward and started swiftly waving her blade with precise strikes as it scrapped against the boy's brown staff and sent sparks over their hands.

She kicked him and he stumbled back as she spun on her feet and returned to her stance with her blade staying besides her head. He looked up and furrowed his eyes before he started to twirl his staff in his hands at blinding speeds before both sides collapsed inwards to the middle.

He charged and jumped before thrusting his weapon forward and one side of the staff extending out at blinding speeds and catching the girl by surprise before retracting back to the center. She stumbled back as he continued charging forward and pressed forward with his staff extending back and forth against her blade.

She struggled to block his attacks as he continued forward. He extended his staff on both sides and started spinning it in his hands before jumping up and planning to strike her from overhead. But the girl used her blade to parry and deflect the staff before sending her Aura through her blade again and activating the fire Dust in her hilt.

Her sword was engulfed in flames and she slammed it into his chest as it exploded and sent him flying back, "AHHHHHH-UFGH!"

The boy landed on the ground and groaned painfully as the girl stood back up and held her blade at her side after the fight was done. The lights turned back on over the entire amphitheater as Glynda walked across the lowered dueling stage as the competitors stood back up and at her sides. She nodded, "Excellent display students. Though it was a bit too flashy compared to actual combat, you both showed superb maneuverability and combative skill. Although you both have some rough edges to work out, for your first time dueling at this school it was a strong effort."

The two students nodded their heads and a few claps came from the viewing stands over them. The holographic screens over the stage showed the still pictures of the two students that had finished fighting and a bar underneath them that measured their remaining Aura.

"Uwohhhhhhhhhh~!" Ruby squealed with an exuberant joy after watching the fight between the other students play out. She was almost leaning off the side of the spectators' stands as she was jumping in place. Watching people pull out their best fighting moves, using their customized weapons to their fullest, and utilizing Dust rounds, Aura, and Semblances...

It was official. This was her new favorite class. Ever.

She even got to change out of her stuffy clothes and dress in her fighting outfit. This was so much fun!

She bounced on her feet with her eyes sparking bright, "I knew it! See Yang, I told you she had an electric attachment on her fire sword! So cool~!"

She immediately felt a tug on her hood that pulled her back into her seat besides Pyrrha and Yang. Her older sister nodded, "Yeah Ruby, I get it. And if you keep jumping like that then everybody else is going to realize it when you fall over and slam your face into the ground."

"Oh c'mon, I'll be careful."

"Yes, but even when you're careful, you have a tendency to screw things up." Weiss said from one row back, looking down at her partner and taking the chance to poke fun at her idea of being careful.

Ruby looked back at the white-haired heiress, "Name one time I wasn't careful!"

They watched as Weiss started counting off her fingers, "Knocking over my Dust when we arrived at Beacon. Sneezing with my Dust to create an explosion. The mess when you were showing off _Crescent Rose_-"

"Okay! Okay!" Ruby interrupted before turning back around and crossing her arms with a sad pout, "I said just one."

Jaune was confused and asked Naruto, sporting his new white bandana, besides him, "What happened with _Crescent Rose_?"

"She wanted to show off her skills but she accidentally fired into a pack of Beowolves and got surrounded by them until me and Kiba came to help."

"Oh." Jaune sat back on his butt before shaking his head, "That sucks."

"It did."

"Yep."

"Absolutely."

"Would you guys stop picking on me! It's mean." Ruby said as her shoulders slumped and she started sulking after being told off by Naruto, Kiba, and Weiss in succession.

Yang just patted her little sister's back, "There there. Someday your screw-up will be something we can all laugh about in the future...that's just not today."

Ruby head sunk even further until her forehead touched her knees.

Pyrrha's looked up at the blonde sister, "Um...is she going to be okay?"

Yang waved off her concern, "Oh yeah, she'll be fine. Just wait until the next match starts and she'll back to her jumpy little self in no time."

Blake mused, "Sounds like you're accustomed to her sulking."

"Oh yeah. Uncle Qrow telling her she fights like a five-year old waving their arms back and forth. Dad telling her she's grounded for staying out all night waiting for a new game. This happens a lot." Yang sat back smugly and wiped her knuckles on her jacket, "Usually I just cook up a batch of cookies and bam, she's happy again."

Ruby interjected from where she rested her head on her knees, "Your cookies are bland."

"Okay. That hurt."

"All right everyone; we will be moving on to the next round of sparring."

Glynda announced as she brought up a function on her Scroll that fed directly into the screens overhead. Two lists of names started to spin and randomly started highlighting a set of names with each spin. Glynda looked up at the students, "Now remember, these matches will continue until one combatant admits defeat or their Aura gauge deeps too far into the red. Until then, keep on your guard and use your skills to their fullest. The next round of sparring shall be between..."

Two names and pictures finally appeared on both screens.

"Mr. Naruto Uzumaki and Ms. Yang Xiao Long. Please come down to the sparring stage and-"

"WOOHOO!" Naruto jumped out of his seat with an eager air around him and a big grin on his face. He started pumping his fists, "Finally! Something fun!" He started running down the bleachers while his friends slid out of the way of his eager charge as he prepared to jump over the edge.

"Mr. Uzumaki!" Naruto stopped and looked down to see Glynda giving him a dry stare from the stage. She fixed her glasses, "I understand your eager to get some exercise but may I suggest you take the stairs behind you before you start jumping over the sides."

Naruto looked back to see there was an opening in the seats with stairs leading down to the lower level. Some of the other students started laughing at the embarrassing scene as Naruto nervously laughed with a red hue on his cheeks, "O-oh right, my bad. Yes ma'am!"

Naruto ran down the stairs while the rest of his friends looked over at Yang as she sat up and rolled her shoulders, "Well, I guess it's about time I get out there and show these guys how to really fight."

Ruby looked up at her big sister, "Good luck Yang! Be careful!"

"Aw, c'mon Ruby..." Yang cracked her knuckles and smirked, "We both know I'm not the one you should be worried about." She started strolling forward and headed down the stairs to her duel.

...

Kiba looked away and shook his head, "That woman terrifies me."

Jaune laughed nervously, "I guess that's just the normal reaction."

Ruby looked back at all of them, "Hey! And what's so scary about Yang, huh?"

"I like her!" Nora said as she jumped down to sit beside Ruby before smiling at the younger girl, "She's spunky! But Naruto's pretty spunky too! I mean not a lotta guys throw themselves up in the air to tackle a Nevermore into an Alpha Wolf!"

Ruby blinked in surprise before she looked forward again, "Hmm, good point."

"Plus I bet he's got some kinda super weapon hidden beneath the bandana!" Nora speculated with the red and black-haired girl, "Like a bazooka!"

Ruby's eyes sparkled, "Or a shotgun!"

"Or an anti-tank rifle!"

"Or an anti-air missile!"

"It's a rag on his head." Weiss finally had to put an end to the madness as she looked at the two lunatics critically, "There's not much he can hide under there."

"She's right Nora." Ren said from behind them as he shook his head, "I doubt Naruto is hiding a military arsenal in the few inches of space underneath that cloth."

"Poo, you guys have no fun." Nora crossed her arms and pouted at being told off.

Ruby did the same thing, "Yeah. I mean if you guys can't even enjoy a sparring class then what's the point?"

"Well..." Tenten looked down at the two pouting girls to try and appease them, "How do you think we should try and enjoy it?"

"Hmmmmm~." They tilted their head to try and think of the best way to have fun while the two blondes prepared for battle.

"Oh!" They all looked over at Jaune before he suggested, "Why don't we take bets or something?"

...

...

...

Ruby and Nora pointed at him and smiled, "Yeah(x2)!"

Ruby jumped out of her seat, "We'll make bets on whose gonna win! My dessert on Yang!"

"My pancakes on the guy with the infinite space bandana!"

Ren just shook his head, "I'm certain he doesn't have infinite space under his bandana."

Kiba grinned and sat up, "Hey, that actually sounds like fun! My bet's on Naruto."

Ruby pointed up at him, "Then you have to give up your dinner or something!"

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm giving up my cookies! It's the least you guys can do!" Ruby face darkened as she spoke with as much of a serious tone as the silly girl could muster, "When you bet your cookies, then you're no longer playing a silly game."

Kiba rolled his eyes, "Fine. Whatever. I bet a dinner on Naruto."

Nora looked up at her partner, "Ren, you too! C'mon!"

"Oh...well, all right then. I suppose since I've seen Naruto's fighting capabilities in action while against the Death Stalker then I shall wager on him."

She nodded before they looked over at Pyrrha expectantly. Pyrrha's felt rather put on the spot, "O-oh, um...shouldn't we just watch their display and hope for the best?"

Ruby shook her head, "No."

"Well, all right then." Pyrrha felt nervous under the younger girl's serious stare before finally folding, "I suppose I'll place my bet on Yang, considering she proved quite essential in the fight against the Grimm."

"Yay!" Ruby looked to the remainder of their little group and silently pleaded with her big silver eyes for an answer.

Tenten raised her hand, "Well he's my team leader so I'm putting my bet on Naruto."

Sasuke nodded, "Same."

Blake rest a hand on her lap, not entirely interested in the idea of betting but also savvy enough to realize her leader wasn't going to let her abstain from it. She shrugged, "Well, she's my partner."

Ruby smiled before looking over at her partner, "Weiss~?"

"Hmph." Weiss flicked her hair, "We're supposed to be taking this time observing and critiquing the abilities of fellow Hunters. Taking bets and gambling is the exact opposite of the productive nature they're trying to-"

Ruby interrupted, "Okay, you aren't playing. Who else-"

"Hey, hold on!" Weiss interjected with a little whine, getting the rest of the group to look over at her while she suddenly felt very uncomfortable and her ears start to heat up. She crossed her arms and looked away, "Yang."

Ruby smiled at her partner before looking around, "That only leaves..."

Nora and Ruby looked over at Jaune at the same time as the scruffy blond suddenly felt very afraid and nervous. He tried to back away, "Oh no."

Before Jaune could flee to safety, Ruby appeared besides him using her Speed and held his shoulder in place. She asked eagerly, "Jaune, you're gonna bet that Yang's gonna win, right?"

"Uh-"

"No! Naruto! It's gotta be Naruto right?!" Nora said before waving her hand in front of his face, "The bandana~. The bandana~."

Jaune shook his arms and head, "Please don't make me choose."

"Jaune, you're my friend!" Ruby pleaded, "As such, shouldn't you support your friend and cheer for her sister?"

Jaune thought for a moment as a chain of thought started to form, "W-wait, by that logic shouldn't I be cheering for Naruto, considering I met him first?"

Ruby waved his logic off, "Semantics-"

Weiss shook her head, "Do you even know what that means?"

"-just bet on Yang!"

"Naruto!"

"Yang!"

"Naruto!"

"Nang!"

"Yaruto!"

"Stop!" Jaune's eyes were swirling around and the others couldn't help but pity the poor guy for getting caught between the two girls and their weird competitive nature. He held his head and moaned, "J-just give me a second to think."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ruby whispered into his ear, "Yang~."

"Yang! I pick Yang! I bet on Yang!" Ruby smiled and Nora pouted before Jaune looked at them both, "Please, just stop whispering evil in my ears!"

Ruby and Nora left to go sit in their seats before Ren and Pyrrha sat beside Jaune and patted his back sympathetically. Kiba shook his head, "Okay, well now we know those two can break just about anyone if they try."

"Look!"

They all looked down to see Yang and Naruto walking out of the separate entrances from the dressing rooms with their weapons on standby. Naruto fixed the last strap holding his sword to his back while Yang looked at her gauntlets with a confident smile. They stood apart from each other at the center of the stage and Glynda walked over to stand between them.

Her heels were clicking together as she started checking equipment with her Scroll. She stepped back to check the cameras before looking at her two students, "I'll be done in a moment. You can chat if you want...just be ready when I say so."

"Got it."

"Can do."

Glynda stepped away and Yang and Naruto looked to each other with smirks. Naruto intertwined his fingers and cracked his knuckles, "Finally, I get to fight again! I haven't done anything fun since the initiation test! Just been reading and taking notes."

"'Reading and taking notes'? I think we both know you mean drawing doodles and sleeping in class." Yang responded flippantly as she started rolling her shoulders. She grinned anyway, "But I see what you're talking about. Nice to get some exercise and get the blood pumping."

"Exactly." Naruto squatted down and stretched out his right leg. He did it with the other leg, "Well, whatever I can't make up for with school work I'll definitely make up for with killing Grimm."

"Well don't get too excited." Yang placed a hand on her chest and faked a more girly voice, "Don't forget you're just fighting lil' ol' me."

***Crack*Crack***

She must have been planning to use that voice as a joke because the way she popped the crick in her neck was just perfect for ruining the tension. Naruto flinched a little before laughing nervously, "Right...and is that 'lil' ol' you' the same one that punched an Alpha Wolf in the face or not?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out." A cheeky smile came across her face as she spotted the weapons on his back and decided to poke the Ursa, "We'll have to see if you can actually use those multiple swords in a fight, huh?"

Naruto smiled flattened out and he slightly glared at her, "I'm sorry...weren't you there when I fended off a Death Stalker with my swords, all 11, at the same time? Or how about when I saved all your butts by skewering those two big...BIG Grimm together?!"

Yang waved that off, "Oh, Ruby finished them off and we both know that."

Naruto nodded his head, "Okay yeah, she totally did but I pinned them together. Plus I saved her butt when she fell off the side."

"And I won't ever stop thanking you for doing that." Yang said before she shrugged her shoulders, "It's not gonna stop me from kicking your butt across the whole stage."

"And the same to you."

The real-time images of the stage started playing on her Scroll and Glynda walked back over to her students' side. She looked between them, "Are you both ready?"

They both took a step back without needing to respond verbally. Naruto reached back and pulled _Stormer_ off his back, gripping his main blade tightly and spinning around his hand for a stylish flare. Yang bounced on her feet a few times before whipping her arms down and letting _Ember Celica_ mechanically click into position along her forearms. Yang got into her boxing stance as Naruto placed a foot back and got into a comfortable fighting stance.

Glynda stepped back until she was far enough where she wouldn't interfere with the spar, "Ready..."

"Begin."

Naruto dashed forward and swung his sword in a flurry of strikes at Yang as she used the back of her gauntlets to block as she stepped back with each strike. She ignored the sparks that bounced off the conflicting metals as Naruto pushed forward with a firm hand.

Yang couldn't find an opening so she made one in the form of a quick left jab that forced Naruto to dodge to her side to avoid injury. She smiled triumphantly as she got him right where she wanted him to be. She pulled her right fist back and cocked her gauntlet as she threw a right hook with the addition of a blast of fire straight at his face. Naruto's eyes widened and he nearly cursed as he kicked off his planted foot and spun in the air just in time to barely avoid the blast.

He landed in a crouch before jumping back to his feet and spinning out with his blade extended to attack her. Yang raised her fist up and blocked the blade before he quickly readjusted for a follow up that she blocked with her other hand. He gripped his sword with both hands and continued pressing forward as Yang blocked with the back of her left, then right, then left again.

She blocked once more before spinning along with the attack and taking a step in to strike the whiskered man in the face with her elbow. He just barely leaned back before she followed through and threw jabs and crosses at his head. Naruto could feel the pressure behind each of her fists and made a mental note that by no circumstances should he be on the receiving end of those knuckles.

One cross was especially close in clocking the bandana-wearing blond out but he took that chance and grabbed Yang around the wrist. He harshly pulled her forward and up to get her out of her stance before he jumped and wrapped his legs along her arm and around her collar before flipping and sending her flying across the stage. Yang let out a little yelp as she was sent packing after Naruto's elaborate move had succeeded in getting her off the ground. Naruto landed in a crouch as Yang got her bearings and got her feet on the ground before sliding across the stage. Yang looked up and Naruto looked over his shoulder before the two blondes locked eyes and smirked.

That was the end of testing the water.

Now the fun could begin.

Yang pumped her arms up before throwing them back and using a blast from her gauntlets to launch her across the stage and at her opponent at blistering speeds. Naruto reacted just in time and pulled out one of his short blades to occupy his free left hand and used it to parry the punch from the boisterous blonde and her fiery fist.

Yang landed back on her feet and spun wildly to land a hammer fist on him but he countered with _Stormer_ and knocked it back. He aimed the bottom of the short blade's hilt at her head and squeezed the trigger to fire a round of concussive arrows at her. She whipped her head to the side as the arrows whizzed by her face and attempted to land a punch on his chin. But he spun on his feet and separated away from her before they could land a hit on each other.

Okay, usually by this point she had sent her enemies flying with a fresh red mark on their face and fear settled nicely into their heads. And yet she hadn't so much as landed a hit on Naruto yet.

She hasn't been able to gauge the full extent of his strength yet but she was certain he was a slippery guy for sure.

Naruto stopped the move away from the strong boxer and pulled two more short blades out to hold between his knuckles for a total of four blades at once. He charged forward and started swiping and swinging at the beautiful blonde in an attempt to finally land at hit but Yang was still able to keep up her guard. Their blades and gauntlets continued to scrap against each other with the sound of clashing metal and the momentary spray of sparks between them.

Naruto attempted to use the shorter blades in his left hand to attack and cut her but Yang proved just how quick she was by blocking and pushing them back at the same rate. And while she blocked with her right, she tried to return the hits with her left but Naruto parried and redirected her fist with _Stormer_, using the blade's base to protect him despite its length.

With both fighters favoring their right side to defend and their left side to attack, the two blondes were stuck in a close combat brawl they couldn't escape. When Naruto tried to kick and knee her, Yang would quickly counter by raising her leg up and stopping him. Yang finally had enough of it and yelled loudly before throwing a strong right hook to knock Naruto back but he pushed her fist aside and got in close before placing his palm and three hilts against her back to fire his arrows.

Yang took the opening of his attack to finally hit back. She fired a round from her gauntlet that quickly spun her around and landed an elbow in Naruto's abdomen as her quick move forced his attack to miss and only hit her shoulder.

Naruto was pushed back and slid on the floor and Yang was harshly smacked into the ground. The two blondes groaned as their mutual attacks had both landed and had finally started showing results from their fight.

"WOOOO!" Nora cheered excitedly as she was enjoying every second of the fast-paced fighting. She roared, "BUST SOME HEAD NARUTO!"

Ruby countered, "GO YANG! KICK HIS FANNY!"

"Yang is...way tougher than I thought she was." Kiba mused as he was focused on the fight with all of his attention, "I mean I knew she was tough but damn."

Blake nodded, "They're both very strong. Yang could hold her own against a group of Ursi like they were nothing. But Naruto was very adaptive and quick in the fight with the Grimm. I can't tell who will win."

"I really, really, really hope I don't fight one of them." Jaune said as his leg continued to bounce with the mix of excitement and anxiousness he was feeling.

"Well, they finally started landing hits on each other so that means the fight is progressing." Ren said before he cupped his chin, "Although Yang's attack was propelled by her gauntlets so her already impressive striking power was increased quite a bit. And she's also very tough, so Naruto's arrows will not deter her for long, even more so considering she was able to avoid the full brunt of their damage. What do you think Pyrrha?" He awaited an answer but did not get one from the most gifted member of their team so both he and Jaune looked over at her, "Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha's attention had drifted upwards to look at the screens that displayed the two fighter's Aura gauges to determine their standing in the fight. After being knocked down by the arrows, Yang's bar had only gone down by an ninth or tenth of its total length, barely a hindrance due to her Aura shielding her. While Naruto's had gone down by a fifth after she had dug her elbow under his ribs like that. Strangely enough, Pyrrha could not sense Naruto's Aura being used to shield and protect him from the fight, like most other students did. But that was not the strangest part...

His bar was slowly but steadily filling up the blank parts of the bar until only a ninth of it was missing instead of a fifth. She had never seen something like that before.

She had met and known many fighters who reserved their Aura sparingly and even some that could focus a large amount of it to heal themselves like Jaune but not as fast as this. How big was Naruto's Aura? Did it have something to do with his Semblance?

Naruto was finally able to stand back up but hissed when he felt the spike of pain from his ribs. He looked over to see Yang rubbing her head and gently rolling her shoulder to see that while her left side hurt it thankfully wasn't dislocated. She decided to take the chance and jumped to her feet and cocked her fists to her side before she started throwing her fists and firing round after round at her opponent.

Naruto dashed across the stage as Yang's attacks blew up the ground chasing after him. Naruto let his motor and reflexes take over as he focused on pulling more of his blades out and feeding an iron wire through their hooks. Yang didn't appreciate the sight of her attacks being ignored and launched herself off her feet again and at Naruto.

Naruto looked up and finished tying his blades together before flipping backwards and evading the kick Yang tried to land on him. Naruto crouched down and tightened the wire so all ten of the _Gatling_ blades were along the back of his arms and _Stormer_ was held tightly in his right.

He jumped forward and swiped at Yang as she stepped back and got back into her boxing stance. He stepped forward to thrust his sword at her and Yang pushed it aside with the palm of her hand. He used the push to step in and started spinning at her with his blades standing out to hit her. Naruto kept spinning around and around as Yang had to block and keep her distance from the relentless barrage of attacks that swarmed her. Yang kept blocking to the best of her ability until Naruto came to an abrupt stop and aimed the bottom of all eleven blades at her before tightening the wires, firing a barrage of arrows and blasting her away.

He didn't stop there as he slid to his knees and pulled the wires over his head before aiming his arrows and firing them all at Yang. Yang barely had a chance to defend as she decided to cover her face and arms while the rest of her body was bombarded with the staggering force of the arrows. She fell to her knee and gritted her teeth while his attacks kept coming and coming until they suddenly stopped.

She looked up just in time to see Naruto sprinting towards her for the chance to attack. Yang jumped up to her feet and swung up at his head just as he kneeled and slid under her fist. He pulled her leg out from under her and screwed up her footing before swinging up and hitting her with the full extent of all eleven of his blades.

Yang was sent spinning and flying into the air after the powerful strike had finally landed across her back. Yang bounced off the ground several times as Naruto jumped up to his feet and stayed in his fighting stance as Yang groaned and struggled to her feet. She shook her head with bleary eyes before raising her fists in her fighting stance.

Naruto kept his narrowed eyes one the blonde before he noticed something and grinned. He started raising his eyebrows at her, "Looks like you'll wanna step up your game if you wanna keep your head. Or hair."

Yang matched his cheeky grin, "Oh? And what is that supposed to-"

And then...it happened.

It slowly floated from over her head and into her sight where everything else constricted and focused solely on that entity.

She brought her hands together to carefully catch and cup it in her palms.

A few strands of blonde hair...her blonde hair.

Blake blinked in shock while Ruby...cowered in her seat with wide, terrified eyes. She was shaking, "O-oh no."

The others saw the youngest girl's strange behavior while Yang just seemed to freeze in place as Naruto was happy at his triumph at knocking a good chuck of her Aura meter down. Weiss looked down at her partner, "What is it? You should have a little more faith in your sister than just that."

Ruby turned around and looked up at her partner with a whimpering and almost pathetic look before she turned around and started climbing the rows. She got to Weiss' level and came to her side as the heiress looked at her strangely, "W-what are you doing?"

Ruby hid behind the white-haired girl's back and cowered, "Protect me."

While the others looked at Ruby in confusion and Blake was leaning back in her seat, Naruto was laughing and scratching his nose proudly, "How do you like that, Yang? Pretty awesome, am I right?" He placed his hands on his hips and started stretching out his neck with a smirk, "Yeah, if you think I was gonna be such an easy fight then you are sorely mistaken. If you wanna beat me than you're gonna have to give it your-"

That was all he got out before the red-eyed demon landed a punch in his gut.

**((((((((Hunting))))**

_Meanwhile_

Ozpin peacefully filled out a set of forms and papers in his office as classical music played in the background. He enjoyed these moments of peace with just his thoughts and a hot cup of coffee to warm him over as he did his paperwork.

Ozpin sat up in his seat before continuing, "Now there have been an increasing need for Huntsmen and Huntresses outside of the kingdoms...we need to send a patrolling force and reconnaissance for-"

***THUD***

His entire room shook and quaked as the gears over his head creaked with the force of the sudden earthquake. Ozpin looked around silently as the room shook a little more before finally stopping.

***Splash***

And his coffee mug tipped over and spilled all over his papers.

"Hmmm."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Meanwhile_

"Now it was around this time that the first Hunters started to emerge in Remnant. They proved invaluable in battle against the Grimm and any other rogue force that rose at that time."

"Professor Oobleck-"

"Doctor!"

"-D-Dr. Oobleck, is this going to be on the exam?"

"Of course it's going to be on the exam! The exam is a test of your cumulative knowledge of everything we've discussed in class! If there is something I am mentioning-"

***THUD***

The room shook and the students felt their seats rumble beneath them as the coffee mug on Oobleck's desk tipped over the side and almost broke on the ground. But the twitchy doctor appeared by his desk, grabbed his mug before it hit the ground, caught his coffee before it splashed in the ground, and stood tall before taking a quick swig of his drink and placing it back on the table.

"It will most likely be tested! Now, on to the next major event-"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Port was sitting behind his desk and carefully cleaning his weapon with a gentle hand as he was reminded of all the old battles and Grimm they had slain over the years.

***THUD***

His room shook with a sudden quake and he felt everything from the floorboards and ceiling shake. Luckily for him he didn't have a cup of coffee to tip over to cause a mess.

Unfortunately, one of the cages holding one of his captured Grimm fell over and broke, letting the monster roam freely. The Boarbatusk looked over at the rotund man and let out a low growl.

"Now now buster boy..." Port stood out of his chair and held his battle axe over his shoulder, "You'll get back in your cage like a good boy...if you know what's good for you."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Shocked. That's the best word to explain what everyone was experiencing.

And it was also the best word to express what they were showing too, considering everyone watching had eyes as big and white as plates. One moment, Naruto was showing an amazing set of skills and overwhelming Yang's strength and knocking her around.

The next...his entire upper body was embedded in the wall with just his limp legs sticking out. And across the stage Yang was breathing heavily with fire coming off her hair and her lilac eyes changed into a pair of red gems. It must have hit really hard because the wire ripped and all of his swords were spread around the ground.

Ruby sadly nodded her head, "Yeah, that's how I thought it would go."

"Ms. Xiao Long, what in the world are you doing?!" Glynda said as she came onto the stage and started fervently reprimanding the girl for her actions. She continued, "One moment you were fighting and the next, y-you seemed to be overwhelmed with anger and punched Mr. Uzumaki into a wall! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Yang finished her panting and stood back up with narrowed eyes. She spoke almost in a growl, "I...really don't like it when people mess with my hair."

Glynda just stared at her in disbelief, not being able to comprehend that as the logical reason for her sudden outburst and spike in strength. She looked over at Naruto's imbedded form and looked down at her Scroll to see that he had fallen into the last fourth of his Aura meter. That was enough to constitute the end so she announced, "Due to the direction of how this match has changed, I hereby declare Yang Xiao-"

"MEHP HYEK!"

Everyone looked towards the wall to see Naruto's legs thrashing around and his muffled screams barely coming through the cracks. Glynda looked over at Yang as she just shrugged her shoulders in confusion, unable to understand his murmurs, before the teacher asked him, "What was that?"

"I SHEIAD-"

***Crash***

Naruto broke out of the concrete and the wall and rubble fell around him. He had just barely protected his head before he was sent flying into the wall and there was a burning hole in the center of his clothes that revealed an area of burnt flesh healing itself. Naruto glared and stood up before spitting out some blood, "I said...not yet."

Glynda looked between the injured blond boy and the fiery blonde girl. She saw the focus on their eyes and the fact that they obviously weren't about to relinquish the fight just yet. She looked down at her Scroll to see Naruto had regained up to a third of his Aura while Yang still had half but her bar was slowly diminishing with the use of her Semblance.

Gylnda decided not to interfere until absolutely necessary and stepped back off the stage.

Naruto rubbed the blood off his chin before looking down at his feet to see the mess. He kneeled down and sheathed _Stormer_ and most of _Gatling's_ short blades until he only had one in each hand. He looked up and saw Yang's shoulders slowly heaving with her power and strength building up.

***Schwip(x2)***

Naruto shot two arrows as quickly as possible at Yang to test her new strength. And he got a clear answer when her hands shot up and caught the two collapsible before they even hit her. She dropped them before lowering her hands and smirking at his challenge.

He smiled in return before accepting the challenge.

He dashed forward and threw the two blades at the busty boxer as she rushed forward and smacked them away without a second thought. They both reeled their right fists back before punching and slamming their fists together in a fiery explosion. Yang stumbled back and Naruto's entire hand was covered in smoke before he pulled a short blade out and stabbed it into the cartridge chamber of her right gauntlet, stopping her shotgun blasts from coming out again.

Yang braced herself before jumping forward and ramming her shoulder into his chest, knocking him down and preparing to stomp on his head. But Naruto lifted himself up on his hand as her boot landed right by his head before he started spinning like a top and knocking her feet out from under her. She fell to his side and he attempted to hit her with his good hand before she blocked it and countered with another strike. Naruto used his shoulder to guard and then used his healing hand to pull out the sword lodged in her gauntlet before kicking her away and flipping back to his feet.

Yang didn't wait another second before jumping back on her feet as Naruto's hand finally healed and he grabbed another short blade. They charged before Naruto jumped and did a spin kick at Yang's head. She ducked and let him fly over her before he landed and turned around to follow through.

Yang fired a round at her feet and propelled herself into Naruto and knocked him back with the force. She spun and reeled her fist back before Naruto ducked the quick throw of jabs just over his head. He tried to slash at her midriff but she pushed the blade away from her stomach and struck Naruto across the cheek with her elbow.

He spun and threw another blade at her head that she leaned away and dodged as it whistled past her ear. She was about to punch him while he was open before Naruto pulled a wire he had tightened around the blade and slammed its hilt into her back. He spun to the side to catch the blade and swung it upward as the sword hit her chin and made her stumble back. Naruto then stepped in behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach before pulling her up and slamming her into the ground with a German suplex.

Yang barely noticed as her Semblance had powered her up so much she had hardly felt the attack. She slammed her fists on the ground and created and explosion that blew Naruto away from her and along the stage. Naruto used the movement to flip to his feet and flicked a short blade into the ground close to Yang before pulling on the wire to vault him towards her. Yang guarded against his knee and skidded back before reeling her fist back to fire at him.

But Naruto turned in the air and pulled out the knife in his right boot to expertly toss at the nozzle as it fired.

***BOOM***

Yang yelped and was blasted back from the premature explosion from her gauntlet. Naruto protected his eyes against the smoke before grinning, "Good 'ol _Stabby_."

Yang groaned for a moment before growling angrily and lifting herself back to her feet. She looked down at her right gauntlet to see there was smoke still rising from where her slug had been blocked and used against her. She was panting slightly and looked up to see Naruto preparing to continue despite the fatigue starting to plague him.

The two blondes narrowed their eyes before charging forward, Yang feeling her good fist back as Naruto prepared to pull out _Stormer_-

"That's enough."

The lights turned back on over the entire stage and Naruto and Yang were so surprised by it that they had to put the brakes on their run and skidded towards each other. Naruto stumbled around as Yang looked around, "Wait what? What happened?"

"That's it. The match is over." Glynda said as she started walking towards them to make sure they didn't proceed, "The winner is settled."

Yang and Naruto blinked in surprise before looking at each other in confusion. They looked up at their teacher one last time, "So who won?"

Glynda didn't respond as she just pointed upwards at the glass screen for the two blondes to see for themselves.

Naruto...was just barely still in the green after all the hits he had taken.

Yang...had finally just dipped into the red.

"What?!" Yang yelled as her hair and eyes reverted to their normal state. She slumped her shoulders and moaned, "Dammit, are you kidding?! I was-like-one sliver away from whopping his butt! Can't we just keep going for a little bit longer?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Xiao Long but once a combatant has fallen into the red that is the end of the sparring session. No exception."

"Awwwwww~." Yang pouted and slump her shoulders. She then took notice of something in her gauntlet before she started to fiddle with it.

Naruto just blinked in utter surprise that he had won the fight. He didn't know what to say before he heard claps and cheers coming from the stands all around him as his classmates applauded.

"Way to go man!"

"That was sweet!"

"I wanna try against you too!"

Naruto looked around in silent awe before his hand shot up in reflex and caught something tossed at his head. He looked down to see it was his hidden knife that Yang had pulled out from _Ember Celica's_ chamber. She was checking her weapon over before walking up to the whiskered blond and smiling, "Well, I guess you win this round. I'll hand it to you; you're way tougher than I thought. I guess that's what I get for underestimating you."

Naruto smiled as he clicked his knife back into his boot, "Well if it's any consolation you were just as strong and terrifying as I thought you'd be. I don't think I need to have another fight with you anytime soon."

"We'll see about that." Yang raised her hand up and grinned, "Sorry for blasting you in the chest like that."

Naruto smiled and grabbed her hand in a tight grip, "Sorry for cutting some of your hair."

She pulled him in and whispered threateningly in his ear, "You're damn right. And if you do that again, you will not have a teacher or Aura bar to protect you, got it?"

Naruto's eyes shrunk in fear, "Y-yeah, I got it."

"Good." She pulled back and patted his shoulder, "Great fight man!"

Yang...was a weird girl. It must've run in the family.

Glynda walked up to her two students and started to critique them on their fight, "You two showed splendid skill and ability during that fight. And you both showed that you excel in the field of relentlessness and durability." She looked around, "If what you did to the stage can't be testament to that the. I don't know what would."

Naruto and Yang took a moment to look around at the result of their fighting. The ground had cracks and pieces of rubble sticking out of it with multiple scorch marks all over the stage. Also, there was the obvious problem of the hole in the wall generously made when Yang sent Naruto into it. They laughed nervously and Yang inquired, "Do...we have to reimburse you for all the damages?"

"Not at all."

Glynda held her Scroll under her arm before waving her crop wand and a purple light emanating from the tip. The rubble and debris started to gather around before fitting back perfectly into place and mending the cracks. After a moment, the stage was remodeled so perfectly you wouldn't have even expected that a no-holds battle just finished a moment ago.

Yang blinked in surprise and whistled.

Naruto looked around, "Holy crap. That's a useful Semblance."

"Thank you. But that is where I have some points of notice for you both." Glynda put her wand back under her arm before looking at Yang, "Ms. Xiao Long, I understand having confidence in one's own strength, but underestimating your opponent's ability will lead to cockiness and overseeing desperation and potential. Also, you may wish to revise the attitude and approach you take to losing a few strands of hair. That reckless endangerment of yourself and everyone around you will no doubt hinder you team's safety out in the field."

Yang looked off to the side and grumbled silently about how she hated people messing with her hair.

"And Mr. Uzumaki..." Naruto stood up straight when he felt the serious woman's eyes fall on him, "Is there a reason you were using your Aura passively and neglecting to activate your Semblance?"

Yang looked at Naruto with a critical glare as she had been wondering the same thing. Naruto felt their looks and just smiled before scratching his cheek, "Well, that was just how I used my abilities the best. It's tough to get out of the habit."

"As Hunters, we train to use our Aura and Semblances to the best of our abilities for the sake of the people we promise to protect." Glynda fixed her glasses before giving him a calculating look, "I know only a few people in our line of profession that choose to use their natural abilities like that as passively as you do. Mr. Uzumaki, is there an actual reason you can give me to why you won't use those abilities?"

Naruto's smile slowly straightened into a line as he looked back into Glynda's serious stare. Yang suddenly felt very tense in the atmosphere. She looked at Naruto and waited for an answer before he just shook his head...

"If I want to protect people...then I don't need to use those abilities. And that's the end of it."

"..."

"..."

Glynda gave a subtle nod, "Very well. Then I suppose that is all I can get out of this matter." She nodded to her two students, "Very well done you two. You may return to your seats."

Naruto and Yang nodded to their professor before walking off stage and towards the stairs, Naruto making sure to pick up his blades before leaving. They walked up the stairs before Yang inquired, "Okay, be honest, if you had used your Aura and Semblance, would you have won the fight quicker?"

"Don't know." Naruto answered immediately as he obviously wanted to drop the subject entirely, "Doesn't matter. I didn't and I won't."

"Aw c'mon, anything that has to be 'restricted and forbidden' like that has got to be awesome!"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, hold on." Yang took a few extra steps to stand in front of him and stop their walk up the stairs. She asked, "What's the big deal? You know Semblances are a part of you and are supposed to help you fight. If you used yours to make yourself stronger-which would be pretty damn impressive considering how strong you are already and you beat me which I will deny ever saying if you bring it up-I bet you'd be one of the toughest guys this year."

Naruto thought for a minute before looking up at the busty blonde, "You feel almost unstoppable when you use your Semblance, right? Like you have an edge no one can beat?"

Yang blinked and thought for a moment before she tried to remember the exhilarating feeling she has when her ability activates. She remembered how she felt empowered and gave a hesitant nod, "Uh, yeah, I guess you're right about that."

"Well imagine if you started using something like that without any control. And you put everyone on your team, even Ruby, at stake when you did. Would you keep doing it?"

Yang looked conflicted for a moment before lowering her head and shaking it. Naruto decided to end it there before Yang grabbed his shoulder and gave him a piece of advice, "Look, I guess if that's really how you feel then I can't change your mind. But...don't just keep this to yourself. You should try talking to someone about it."

Naruto thought for a second before a small smile came on his face, "Like a personal therapist or something?"

"Probably not that." She joked and tapped his forehead, "I don't think you want anyone messin' around in that head of yours. But there's bound to be someone you can talk with. Someone to convince you that you're in control."

Naruto was silent for a moment before smiling at the girl, "Do you always give words of wisdom to the guys that beat you?"

Yang shrugged and continued up, "Don't know, no one ever beat me. And I plan to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Sure, we'll see about that."

The two blondes came back into the stand where they had left their friends-

"Thank you for the meal!" Nora cheered as she jumped out of her seat with a big smile.

The blondes blinked in confusion, "What?"

"We bet on who would win and wagered snacks and meals on it." Blake answered for them, "Half of us bet on Yang and the others bet on Naruto. Since Naruto won...we're out of a meal for the night."

Weiss crossed her arms disappointingly, "I can't believe you lost."

Yang scowled, "Well next time when you get to fight him we'll see how you handle it."

"My cookies~." Ruby whimpered with tears forming in her eyes, "My cookies~."

Kiba came up besides Naruto and patted him on the back roughly, "Way to go man! I get to eat like a greedy King for the rest of the night!"

Naruto glared at his partner lightly, "You know I'm getting half of all of your winnings, right? That goes for all of you!"

"We'll discuss that later."

"Everyone, we still have time in class for one more match." Glynda announced as she set the roster on random, "The final combatants of the evening will be..."

"Ms. Pyrrha Nikos and Mr. Sasuke Uchiha."

The group blinked in surprise before looking at the red-haired warrior and the raven-haired swordsman. They were all silent as they were still surprised by the pick.

"Second round! All-or-nothing!" Ruby announced hopefully as she pointed at Nora with a challenge, "I'm getting my cookies back!"

"You're on!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Yang- 1st**_

_**Blake- 2nd**_

_**Weiss- 3rd**_

_**Ruby- 4th**_

_**Yang won by just a point or two and the same between Blake and Weiss. Ruby, however, was horribly left behind. I guess not a lot of people wanted the adorable leader of Team RWBY to face off against Naruto.**_

_**Can't blame you. I can't think of any way I could make a fight between them without Naruto hurting her and subsequently pissing off Yang even more.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Took way too long to actually write. But I'm really, really happy about how many of you guys actually put in your votes. It means a lot that you guys took some time to do that. Thank you.**_

_**I might do another one of these votes for fight chapters in the future, but for now its Sasuke vs Pyrrha.**_

_**I should probably get to work on that...and not get distracted by Dragon Ball Xenoverse...that's tough.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	14. Natural Born Warriors

Hunting or Bust

Dust 9: Natural Born Warriors

Yay! RWBY Volume 3 really is happening!

Thank you Miles! Kerry! Shane! Gray, you magnificent bastard! The whole production team! Rooster Teeth! The community for helping keep the dream alive! All of you guys!

And Monty! We'll keep moving forward man! We always will!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Naruto, you are way stronger than you look."

Naruto looked over himself after Ruby's observation before he tilted his head, "You think?"

"Totally!" Ruby continued as she jumped up to sit beside him and excitedly talked with her friend, "I mean I always thought you were pretty tough but you totally just proved it without a doubt! I mean I've never seen anyone beat Yang before! She was undefeated back at Signal and Patch, and you totally won! I mean I'm still a little miffed because I lost the bet and Nora took my cookies but it was still cool!"

Naruto felt his smugness and pride start to swell and he rubbed his nose, "Well if you ever wanna see me beat on Yang again, just ask!"

Yang was sitting in front of them and was unamused at her loss and his gloating. She sternly threatened without looking back, "Shut up, or I'll put another hole in your shirt with a much bloodier result."

Naruto looked down to realize he still had a large burn mark through his vest and shirt that revealed his abs. He immediately remembered the terrible burning sensation he got when she punched him into the wall and sweated, "R-right, got it."

Ruby just leaned in and whispered, doing her best not to be heard by her big sister, "Don't mind her, she's always been a sore loser. If I beat her in a fighting game or poker, she'd challenge me to a rematch over and over until-"

"Ruby! Shut up!" Yang yelled back at her younger sister with a hint of embarrassment at the fact Ruby was failing to whisper and speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. She pointed at the red-clad girl, "And like you're one to talk! You're the sorest loser I know!"

Ruby was shocked by her sister's declaration and jumped down beside her, "No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

This went on for some time.

Nora turned in her seat and looked up at Naruto, "But seriously, you were so cool! They way you and Yang just wailed on each other was like a TV beat down! You were like SHWISH-SWISH-SHOOM! And she was like PUNCH-PUNCH-BAM! And then you were hit like GAH MY ORGANS! And then you were here."

Naruto was confused by her thought process before he decided to just go along with it, "Um, thanks Nora."

She beamed a smile, "You're welcome!"

Ren looked back at him as well, "All sound effects aside, that was a splendid battle. You both were excellent and showed a great set of skills."

Yang looked up from where she had caught Ruby in a headlock and grinned, "Well shucks. Now I'm all embarrassed and stuff."

Ruby choked out, "Y-Yang, too tight. Too tight."

Ren looked up at Naruto and inquired, "I noticed that your techniques with your sword and wired blades were pragmatic and flowing, but when you used a short blade you were more styled and grounded. Are you more familiar with blades like that?"

Naruto was so surprised by that analysis that he had to chuckle a little. He nodded, "You've got sharp eyes. Yeah, someone taught me how to use blades like that. My dad actually taught me since I was a kid how to handle short blades and knives with a steady hand. He used to be a Huntsmen so those were his specialties."

"Aw that is so cool!" Jaune admitted with stars in his eyes as he looked at Naruto in a whole new light.

Naruto felt nervous under his friend's gaze, "You think?"

"Yeah, that's totally awesome, Naruto! Being able to use stuff like that so easily!" Jaune then seemed to look off in a daydream, "Like a little kid ninja or assassin or something."

Blake and Weiss just rolled their eyes at the childish prospect. Although the fact that Naruto trained with his weapons prior to entering a training school would explain his experience with fighting. A few people out of a group actually had experience with fighting and weapons before they entered a Hunter curriculum. They both had personally had their own individual circumstances that led them to training with their weapons at a younger age. Apparently Naruto was the same.

Weiss decided to ignore that prospect as a much more pressing matter came to mind. She looked over at Yang and deadpanned, "So...I assume we won't be going on any trips to get our hair cut anytime soon, correct?

Yang kept her chokehold on Ruby and asked, "What does that mean?"

"I mean are you always going to go all..." Weiss tried to find the best term to describe what Yang had changed into when those strands of her hair were cut. Words failed the heiress so she decided to point and bring everyones' attention to the obvious burnt hole through Naruto's shirt, "...when you lose a few strands of hair."

Yang rolled her eyes before defending herself, "Okay look, I like my hair. I've tried it short. I've tried it long. Tied up and let loose. And despite its messy appearance, I really like it as it is now, cowlicks and all. I think it's perfect. So I get really, really mad when somebody or something messes with it even in the slightest. If they mess with the hair...they pay...hard."

Blake looked at her partner with a raised eyebrow, "Is that why you were basically brutalizing that Ursa when we met up in the forest?"

"Pfft." Yang scoffed, "It got off easy."

Okay...Yang kept setting herself higher and higher on the scary meter. She was now somewhere a little higher than your average Ursa.

Kiba sneaked over and sat in the empty seat besides his partner. He elbowed his leader's side, "Hey, way to survive total annihilation man. Looks like you pulled through by the skin of your teeth...and the saving grace of healing yourself."

Naruto scoffed and patted the open hole in his clothes, "Tell me about it. I'm pretty sure the janitor would be cleaning out blood and chunks of Naru-brain if I was slacking around anymore after that."

Kiba then wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulder and pulled him in to whisper into his ear, "Man, I'm actually really surprised you won that fight."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, a little ticked off by Kiba's apparent lack of faith in him. He heavily whispered back, "What does that mean?"

"Well...I kinda thought you'd be too distracted to take the fight seriously."

Now Naruto was just confused. He tilted his head, "Distracted?

Kiba eyes panned over and he sent a subtle shake of his head downwards at something. Naruto followed his gaze and realized what Kiba was referring to.

He thought Naruto wouldn't be able to concentrate on the fight because he'd be too focused on Yang's bountiful...bounty. Naruto was rather peeved that Kiba thought he could be so easily distracted by something like that but right now he was getting a very open look at Yang's cleavage from their spot above her and the fact that Ruby's head was being nuzzled beneath them with the young girl's arms waving around frantically. Stupid sexy cleavage. Naruto pushed Kiba's chuckling face away from him, "Very classy, jackass."

Kiba just smiled, "You were the one staring."

Jaune heard the last of their conversation and joined in, "Staring at what?"

Naruto's eyes darted around before he looked down at the stage and pointed, "At them, of course!"

The others stopped what they were doing as Sasuke and Pyrrha finally came out of the locker room with their weapons and gear fully set. A few of them jumped up to cheer for their friends, "Woohoo, go Sasuke!"

Jaune did the same and cheered for his partner as best he could, "You can do it Pyrrha! You got this!"

Since the group of three teams had already done a round of bets last time a few of them opted to just sit down and watch their friends duel. However Naruto and Yang egged everyone on to do another round considering they were the ones they were betting on. So with some encouragement and backing from Ruby in an attempt to get her dessert back, the bets were set.

Pyrrha: Jaune, Ren, Nora, Weiss, and Blake.

Sasuke: Naruto, Kiba, Ruby, and Yang.

The only person who hadn't bet yet was Tenten. And that was because she was racking her mind in who to cheer for between her personal idol and her partner. She rubbed her head with anxiety in her eyes, "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? I need to support Sasuke. He's my partner!" More fear started settling in her head, "But I've been cheering for Pyrrha since she started fighting in the tournaments! Ahhhhhhhh!"

Naruto tried to calm his teammate's worry, "Tenten, we should be cheering for Sasuke. He's our teammate and friend, right? We need to support him!"

Tenten seemed to calm down a little and hesitantly nodded her head, "Y-yeah, yeah you're right-"

"Nonsense." Weiss decided to add in before she looked towards Tenten and started countering Naruto's point, "You yourself said that you have been idolizing Pyrrha's hard work and determination for years now, correct? And now you decide to abandon that admiration when she's about to fight? You should be cheering for her just as you always have!"

Tenten stuttered, "I-I-"

"Are you kidding?!" Naruto jumped out of his seat and pointed accusingly at Weiss, "Stop trying to sway my team like that! She should be cheering for her partner! That's the only choice that makes sense!"

"Oh please." Weiss didn't even bother getting up from her seat as she crossed her legs, "Pyrrha has been the idol of students both young and old for years now. It only makes sense that she cheer for her."

Naruto shook his head, "No! Sasuke!"

Weiss decided to argue back, "Pyrrha!"

"Sasuke!"

"Pyrrha!"

"Sasuke!"

"Pyrrha!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tenten finally yelled as she fell out of her seat and started shaking with fear.

Blake blinked and leaned in towards Weiss, "I think you might have broken her."

Naruto and Weiss didn't even seem to notice Tenten's breakdown as they continued their heated argument, "Why can't she cheer for Sasuke?! Pyrrha's not even on your team!"

"Yes but she is one of the best fighters of our age group! She has proven herself time and time again as a cut above the rest! Most of the students here would have a hard time standing against her, let alone beating her." Weiss couldn't deny that Sasuke had some amazing skills, due to watching him fight the Grimm in their initiation and the fact he saved her from being attacked by the Alpha Wolf. But she was more certain in Pyrrha's abilities than his. She looked over at Naruto with a superior glare, "Why exactly are you so adamant to think he can win?"

"Well because he's the strongest guy on our team!"

Some of the others looked at Naruto with honest shock at his exclamation. Kiba was the first to voice their confusion, "D-do you mean that? Because I thought you would have wrongfully given yourself that title."

"Oh I know I'm strong. But Sasuke's got more than that to show."

Yang grinned, "Oh, now I want to see this fight even more!" She let go of Ruby's tired form and sat up before yelling, "C'MON YOU TWO! SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT!"

"YOU CAN DO IT SASUKE!"

"PYRRHA! YOU'RE THE BEST!"

Some of the other students started to join in and the whole room started getting filled with cheers as they waited for the fight. Pyrrha lowered her head and felt her cheeks and ears start to heat up with embarrassment.

"That's surprising."

She blinked and looked up to see Sasuke with one arm rested on his sword and the other in his pocket. She suddenly felt a lot less conscious of the noise around her and asked, "What is?"

"That you could still be still be humbled by people cheering your name like this." He observed before looking around at the area and turning to her again, "I thought you would have gotten used to it after all the competitions and events."

Pyrrha shyly shrugged her shoulders, "Well, those are just people that are cheering my name. These are my classmates and friends. It's...a little more personal than what I am used to." She let her humility subside for a moment before looking towards the raven-haired boy, "What about you? You seem to be handling the noise from the crowd remarkably well. Have you participated in tournaments or open events like this before?"

Sasuke looked up in thought before smiling and shaking his head, "Nope. I'm just more accustomed to blocking out noise like this than most. My brother used to train me in front of others so they'd go far and beyond to try and distract me with cheers, jeers, and a mooning once. He said it was actually useful. In real combat your surroundings will be bustling with noise so you have to prepare and train yourself to block it out."

Pyrrha softly laughed with a mix of amusement and amazement, "My, that sounds like it would be a useful training program."

Sasuke shrugged, "It had its moments."

"All right students, the stage is set." Glynda said as the lights dulled so only the sparring grounds were illuminated with a proper amount of light. She looked between the Hunters-in-training, "Are you ready?"

Pyrrha threw her arms down and her weapons slid from her back and into her hands. _Miló_ slid into its javelin form and into her right while _Akoú__o_ jetted down to guard her left.

Sasuke adjusted his right hand to hold his scabbard and lowered his legs but did not make any move to unsheathe his sword. The redhead took note of this and questioned, "You aren't going to draw your weapon?"

Sasuke focused his eyes, "Not yet."

"The combatants are set..." Glynda looked between them before taking a few steps away to get off the stage. The clap of her heels made the two fighters wary of when they were about to start.

...

...

"Begin!"

***BANG***

Sasuke fired off the shotgun end of _Vollmond Reflexion_, leaving a ball of fire to blaze off the ground and propelling him at amazing speeds towards Pyrrha. He pulled his leg back and twisted forward as he was about to kick Pyrrha in the space where she peeked just above her shield. But Pyrrha went with her reflexes and ducked down just as his kick missed, causing Sasuke to glide over her and slide on the ground before coming to a quick stop.

He wasted no time as he dashed forward while pulling his sword out to attack her. Pyrrha turned around and parried his sword with a spray of sparks but noticed that he spun with the movement to efficiently step towards her to attack again. Pyrrha opted for the defensive approach and raised her shield as Sasuke started to press and relentlessly strike her shield.

Pyrrha and Sasuke exhibited remarkable footwork as they back-stepped and charged forward respectively. With each thrust of Sasuke's sword, it scrapped and clashed against Pyrrha's shield as they traveled along the stage. Pyrrha decided to counter and ducked before sweeping the ground and getting Sasuke to jump over her leg.

She adjusted her position and thrusted her javelin upwards to attack his airborne form as he blocked it with his scabbard and spun through the air from the force. He landed on all fours and Pyrrha spun on the ground for the best position to face him as _Miló_ mechanically slid into its sword form.

Pyrrha stopped spinning on her back and jolted upwards to thrust her sword at Sasuke's head. He blocked and parried the blade before spinning his sword to strike the amazon in return but she used her shield to protect herself. Sasuke lifted himself up to his knees and thrust his sword again and Pyrrha had to jerk her head aside as the blade came between her head and shield. Sasuke dropped his arm and Pyrrha had to quickly spin out of the way as the sword nearly landed and hit her shoulder. Pyrrha used her spin to extend her arm and prepare to slam her shield down on the swordsman's head but Sasuke blocked it with his forearm with some extra assistance from his Aura.

With the push from her shield, Sasuke had to slide back a little along the floor to gain distance. Pyrrha pushed up to her knees and tossed _Akoú__o_ as hard as she could at the surprised boy as he blocked with his sword and was pushed onto his butt by the force behind the shield. She threw it with such power and accuracy that after impacting against her opponent's sword it ricocheted straight back to her hand which she effortlessly placed along her arm.

Sasuke flipped back onto his feet and stood up before seeing Pyrrha swing her sword at his head as he bent back just in time. He snapped back forward and felt his steel slide against hers as she brought her sword back to defend her. They squared off and started exchanging slashes and strikes as metal clashed and sparks spread just over their eyes. Pyrrha struck with her sword before it changed back into the javelin form so she could strike again with the longer end of it.

Sasuke had to block with the lower end of his sword at the sudden strike from below that knocked his hand out of range to block Pyrrha's shield. Sasuke pulled his sheathe off the clip on his side and felt the rim of Pyrrha's shield bounce off its center before he cocked a fore-end and slipped it into his hand in one swift move. He aimed it at the redhead-

***BANG***

Pyrrha quickly ducked her head beneath the blast of the shotgun and swung her spear up towards his chin. He leaned back and backflipped away from her as she jumped and lunged her weapon at his head. He ducked and spun beneath her range and aimed for her legs while she dived forward and over his blade. He cocked his shotgun again and aimed down as Pyrrha rolled into a defensive curl with her shield blocking the powerful blast of his gun. Sasuke didn't even wait for the embers to die out before he charged forward and used her shield to jump over and behind the guard to attack again.

Pyrrha anticipated the move and blocked his strike as she spun up from her knees and Sasuke rolled back to his feet. Pyrrha's javelin transformed into a rifle and she placed her shield on her back before taking aim at the boy as he was getting back up. Pyrrha fired and Sasuke blocked the bullet with his blade in the nick of time. She continued firing and Sasuke deflected each bullet with a swing of his blade and sheathe to protect himself.

He quickly shortened the distance between them and started kicking at Pyrrha as she used her rifle to block his quick feet. She pushed his foot back and fired at him as the swordsman leaned out of the way before aiming his shotgun up at her. Pyrrha turned around and the blast bounced off her shield before she tried to catch him by surprise with a back kick. But Sasuke jumped back and blocked the kick with his shin to minimize the damage.

He was good. Really, really good.

Time for her to pull out the ace.

Pyrrha turned around and changed her rifle back into a sword before dashing in and slashing at Sasuke. The Uchiha strained as he felt the power behind her strike but didn't falter as he pushed back with equal ferocity. Sasuke jumped forward and started to overwhelm the armored warrior with strikes from his sword and sheathe. Pyrrha had to step back as Sasuke kept knocking back and forth against her blade.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and put her move into motion.

She flicked her arm down and let _Akoú__o_ slide onto her hand before throwing it up and over their heads. Pyrrha swung her blade up and intercepted Sasuke's sword as he prepared to follow through with his sheathe. But Pyrrha focused her Aura and lowered her hand out of sight before it started glowing with a faint black light.

Suddenly, Sasuke's sheathe shot out of his hand by some strange force and he looked back in surprise as his secondary weapon landed on the other side of the stage. Pyrrha took his surprise to her advantage and started attacking him again. Sasuke blocked her sword several times before his precious blade leapt out of his hand by the same unknown power as before. Sasuke was left unarmed as Pyrrha raised her hand and felt her shield slide perfectly into place along her arm.

She gave a mighty swing and knocked Sasuke back across the stage floor with her shield as he yelled, "AGHH!"

They watched Sasuke bounce on his back for a moment as Naruto stood up, "C'MON SASUKE! GET UP MAN!" Others started joining him to cheer for the raven-haired boy as some just looked at the fight with their utmost attention. Some of them had fully expected this to be a one-sided battle considering the opponent was Pyrrha Nikos, a genius and prodigy of battle for their generation. They thought this would be a quick match where her opponent would try to land a couple of hits but be immediately overwhelmed by her superior experience and strength. But Sasuke had not only stood his ground so far but had matched Pyrrha strike for strike with his exceptional skills and abilities as well. Obviously, victory was finally shining down on Pyrrha once again as Sasuke's weapons had suddenly flown out of his grip but he had put up more of a fight than most would think able against a girl like her.

Weiss was suddenly very aware of why that doofus Naruto had so much faith in him. He was extraordinary for someone with no professional background like Pyrrha. But...she couldn't quite put her finger on it...why did she feel like she had heard his name before?

Blake scooted down her seat and leaned forward with a hand holding her head up to stay comfortable. She felt the tension in the air and could sense this fight wasn't quite done yet.

Sasuke let out a small groan and rubbed his head after getting hit back by her shield. Even with Aura, stuff like this still left him feeling a little groggy. He had no idea how Naruto had such a tolerance for this.

Pyrrha took a step forward and changed _Miló_ into its rifle form before she saw Sasuke look over at her. She turned to him, "Will you continue to fight without a weapon? Or do you forfeit the match?"

Sasuke kept rubbing the back of his head before his eyes panned and surveyed the area. _Vollmond Reflexion_ was gone. His blade was on one side of the stage. His sheathe on the other. And he had an exceptionally skilled and powerful opponent with a rifle about to be trained on his movement. Plus she had some kind of special ability that let her control his weapons like Telekinesis.

Ok...time to get serious.

Sasuke placed his hands on either side and pulled his feet under until he was in a crouch. He closed his eyes and lowered his head as Pyrrha looked at him strangely. She aimed her rifle on his form and prepared for any sudden movements he would make. She focused on him as Sasuke didn't make a single move even though he could feel everyone stare at him.

Sasuke slowly raised his head and started opening his eyes. He looked up at Pyrrha and she noticed that his black eyes had changed into a mixture of red irises with a black ring surrounding the pupil. He kicked his legs out behind him and they tensed along with his whole body. Pyrrha closed one eye and trained the other on Sasuke as he darted from his position with a dash.

***BANG***

Sasuke slammed his hand on the ground and pushed off it to make him spin out of the way as the bullet ricocheted off the ground. Pyrrha kept firing round after round but Sasuke nimbly dodged and evaded each shot while still staying close to the floor. Pyrrha started rapidly firing her gun to knock him back but Sasuke started spinning on the ground and evading each shot without worry. He jumped off the stage with a spin and started sending kick after kick at Pyrrha's shield.

She flinched as she felt Sasuke's kicks hit areas of the shield that would most affect her grip and hold on _Akoú__o_. Pyrrha kept blocking the punches before she tried hitting Sasuke with her shield as he ducked under it and slid to her side. She had to block all of Sasuke's punches as his fists started to blur in a barrage of quick jabs. She kept parrying his strikes before she tried to catch him off guard with a swing but he just barely titled his head back and avoided her blade while keeping himself in her range. How were his movements so precise and quick now?

Pyrrha was done playing defense as she crouched down to sweep his leg. Sasuke jumped up and off of Pyrrha's shield to get some distance. She stood back up and charged forward as Sasuke landed and kept limber on his feet. Pyrrha started swinging her blade as quickly as possible as Sasuke had to dodge when her blade suddenly started moving faster and closer to hitting him. He ducked, leaned, and stepped back with gritted teeth as he heard _Miló_ cut through the air around him.

Pyrrha spun around and changed it to javelin form as the rockets on the end flared and she threw it with immense power. Sasuke barely dodged it as the rocket-powered spear flew by his head and cut some of the hair at the end of his bang. She swung her shield into his shoulder and forced him back as her javelin came flying around the stage and back into her hand. She spun and gave her weapon a full swing as she knocked Sasuke off his feet and into the air.

But the Uchiha didn't let that stop him as he landed and quickly dashed in towards his opponent. Pyrrha saw this happen and blocked with her shield as Sasuke's fist landed on the low end of _Akoú__o_ and the sound echoed through the amphitheater. But just as Pyrrha was about to step back to gain some distance from her foe, Sasuke's hand gripped the bottom end of the shield as his other grabbed the top.

He pulled and twisted on both ends as Pyrrha had to let go so her arm wasn't hyperextended. Sasuke spun around and pulled _Akoú__o_ off her arm before spinning back and slamming it into her breastplate, "AHH!"

Everyone was silent as Pyrrha was knocked back on her butt and Sasuke placed her shield on his right arm before standing tall and ready for the next round.

Did...did he just disarm Pyrrha Nikos?

And neither of them was even below a fifth of their bar!

Pyrrha lifted herself up and shook her head with a small moan before seeing Sasuke standing there with _Akoú__o_ on his arm. She had a small scowl (or whatever constituted as a scowl for such a nice girl as Pyrrha) at seeing her beloved shield in the hands of another. She stood back up and dusted her shorts before holding her javelin along her arm and slowly walking aside. Sasuke mirrored her movement and they kept circling around each other, examining every slight twitch or move they made.

Pyrrha spun her weapon in her hand before leaping forward and giving a mighty swing that Sasuke blocked with the shield. Pyrrha and Sasuke kept exchanging strikes and hits as sparks danced between them so much it was like a veil of embers. Pyrrha used both ends of her javelin to strike as Sasuke twisted his upper body to block each move. They kept circling around the center of the stage exchanging blows as everyone watched in amazement at their moves.

Pyrrha kept striking but realized she wasn't going to get anywhere as long as he still had _Akoú__o_. She lunged with her spear before immediately turning back and spinning over Sasuke so he had to block. She turned in the air and held her hand out as it started to glow black.

But her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke holding his hand out too with a very familiar black light.

Pyrrha was blast further into the air as Sasuke slammed into the ground and flung across the rest of the stage. Pyrrha landed on the ground but ignored any discomfort as she looked at the raven-haired boy in shock.

Sasuke lifted himself off the ground and rubbed the back of his head as he saw Pyrrha look at him in surprise. He knew that she had figured out his ability just like he had realized hers. He looked to the side and saw his blade just a foot away from him before he looked over and saw what rested beside Pyrrha. He lifted himself up with a grunt and walked over to pick up his sword before turning back to her.

Pyrrha was feeling her heart pound in her ears and her hands start to sweat. Her mouth was going dry and she was becoming more aware of her surroundings. She looked to the side to see Sasuke's scabbard resting just a few inches from her hand. Yes...she knew very well what this feeling was.

Excitement.

Pyrrha swung her spear and knocked the sheathe up into the air before she spun off the ground and activated the rockets on _Miló_. She threw her spear at full power while grabbing the sheathe and arming it for battle.

Sasuke sprinted forward and felt the spear skid off the shield as he kept running towards the redhead. Pyrrha jumped up and fired his shotgun as he used her shield to block the shot. She jumped off of _Akoú__o_ and into the air to grab her javelin before spinning and hitting it into the shield. Sasuke kicked back and Pyrrha shifted her weapon back into a sword before landing and dashing forward.

Sasuke blocked her sword and attacked in return as she let his blade slide on hers. She used her fingers to push the fore-end of the shotgun in her hand before aiming it up and blasting it against the top of her confiscated shield. Sasuke spun around with the shot and flicked her shield back at her with such force that Pyrrha had to lean away as it flew by her head.

She felt a pull on the sheathe and looked down to see Sasuke had gotten a hold while she was distracted. He pulled it in and tried to get her to let go but her grip was so tight it was like iron. Sasuke and Pryyha didn't let go of either side of the sheathe as they tried to pull it away from each other. Pyrrha used her Semblance to repel the scabbard as fast as possible and leave them with just their swords.

Pyrrha gripped _Miló_ tightly and swung as Sasuke fought back with _Vollmond Reflexion_. The two warriors blades flashed into blurs of silver and sparks as they slashed at each other. The others were starting to lose sight of the swords as the two combatants were only focused on each other. Pyrrha swung high and Sasuke sung low as they missed their blades and travelled past each other.

They spun back around and held their blades out at each other's throat and stopped their movement entirely. Sasuke had to spare his Aura and deactivated his Semblance as Pyrrha was panting lightly. They gripped their blades again-

***RIIIING***

Sasuke and Pyrrha looked up in surprise at the bell before the lights shined back down on the stage and illuminated everything in sight. Glynda walked back on the stage, "I'm sorry everyone but that is the end of the period."

After she had called the match, students stood out of their seats and cheered after the fantastic fight the two fighters had displayed.

Pyrrha started catching her breath and looked over at the teacher, "We ran out the clock?" The platinum blonde nodded in confirmation as Lyrrha moved some hair out of her eyes, "I didn't even know we had a clock."

Glynda hummed, "Unfortunately having the last match of the session means that you are limited by the amount of time remaining in the class."

Sasuke took a deep breath and looked around before asking, "So...who won?"

Glynda shook her head, "We can't determine that due to the fact the match ended sooner than expected. You were both evenly matched and your Aura bars were near the same amount. I'd have to say that this was a tie by all means. Even so...you two have proven just how skilled you are. Ms. Nikos, I expected nothing less of someone as renowned as you. Mr. Uchiha...I greatly underestimated your determination and ability."

Sasuke blinked in surprise at the compliment from the stoic teacher before he nodded, "T-thank you, Professor."

Glynda looked up at the surrounding seats before announcing to her class, "Everyone, that concludes your classes for the day and the week. I will see you again on Monday. Make sure you all prepare for our classes again..." She fixed her glasses before smiling at her students proudly, "And congratulations on your first week in Beacon."

The students all started moving towards the exits and the amphitheater was empty in moments. Sasuke rubbed the back of his head as he walked over and picked up his sheathe and slid his weapon back into its place. He then saw Pyrrha's shield resting just a little bit further and went to pick it up as he heard Pyrrha's heels clap behind him. He turned around and saw her approach him and handed _Akoú__o_ back with an apologetic look, "Here. And sorry for taking it from you."

Pyrrha gave him a grateful nod as she returned her shield to her back, "Thank you. And it's quite all right, in battle you should never expect something to stay constant. This has given me some much needed insight on how to handle situations like this in the midst of fighting." Her meek, humble side appeared again as she looked aside with quilt and apologized, "I-I'm sorry for using your sheathe against you. I...got caught up in the moment."

"That's fine. It's the least I can stand after one of the most amazing fights of my life."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement, "Yes, it was. And you were quite exceptional as well. I have not met many other people our age that could move and fight so well as you. I can't remember the last time I was pressured like that to fight with everything I had."

Sasuke nodded before raising an eyebrow, "I feel the same way. Especially when my weapons started flying out of my hands like magic." He noticed Pyrrha flinch and continued with his thought, "Felt like something was pulling and pushing them right out of my hand. Actually, more like 'repelling' them?"

Pyrrha laughed nervously and gripped her elbow shyly, "Um...I know this might seem a bit strange, b-but please-"

"Don't tell people about your Semblance?" Sasuke finished for her before she gave a small nod. He smiled, "Your secret's safe with me. It's always good to have a trump card in fights like this."

Pyrrha sent him a grateful nod, "Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it." He turned around and headed towards the lockers, "We should head out and meet the others."

"I agree." Pyrrha followed the raven-haired boy as they went to drop off their weapons and meet with their friends.

"You don't think they actually did that betting thing again with us, do you?"

"Oh, I hope not."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"YOU'RE BOTH OKAY!" Tenten cheered loudly and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's and Pyrrha's shoulders the moment she spotted them walk out.

Pyrrha was surprised by her friend's sudden hug and asked with concern, "T-Tenten, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Shh!" Tenten hushed them while tightening her hug, "Just a sec."

They both looked between each other before looking up at their other friends for an explanation, "What...happened?"

"She didn't want to choose between the two of you to see who would win and she's been panicking about it the whole time you fought." Ruby answered.

Yang nodded, "We're pretty sure you saved her a mental breakdown."

"Pyrrha!" Jaune said with worry as he rushed over to his partner's side as Tenten finally let them go. He asked, "You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

"Don't worry Jaune, I'm fine." Pyrrha rubbed her shoulder to get some of the sore feeling out of her arm, "I'm just a little tired from the fight."

"Oh." Jaune said before a smile came across his face, "Well no surprise there, you were so cool Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha looked up at him with some surprise on her face, "Really?"

"Are you kidding?! It was like I was watching something out of the movies!" Jaune said excitedly while thinking about all the things he saw his incredible partner do, "The way you moved and fought and jumped around! I think I lost track of you a few times during the fight! You were awesome!"

Pyrrha had a pink hue on her face and meekly lowered her gaze at her partner's words, "Thank you for the compliment, Jaune."

Nora came bouncing in and jumped in front of Pyrrha happily as Ren followed behind with a small smile, "You! Were! Amazing! I should have taped the fight with my Scroll so I could show you!"

Pryyha smiled appreciatively at her teammate's exuberant behavior, "Thank you too Nora."

Sasuke felt someone roughly pat his back and looked to see Naruto grinning at his friend, "Way to go buddy. You were awesome."

Kiba came up behind him, "Holy crap! Dude, where the hell did you learn to fight like that?!" Kiba was beaming with excitement as he questioned the swordsman, "Seriously, you two were incredible! That was the sickest fight I've ever seen!"

Naruto's and Yang's smiles fell and they looked between each other. Naruto spoke, "Um-you guys remember we fought earlier, right?"

Ruby agreed, "The way you guys fought was unbelievable!"

Yang furrowed her eyes, "I was fighting as hard as I could."

"The best fight so far!"

Yang shook her head, "This is so unfair."

"You." Everyone's attention turned to Weiss as the heiress walked over to Sasuke with something on her mind. She pointed at him sternly, "I have something I need to ask you."

Sasuke blinked, "Okay...what is it?"

"In the forest during the initiation test, you ran in a burst of speed and saved me from the Alpha Wolf before it attacked me." She placed her hands on her hips and scowled, "I thought you had a Speed Semblance, but your movements were far different just now, and I can't get a read of your abilities. Can you make yourself fast or push away from others or what? It's so confusing!"

The others took some time to think about what Weiss was bringing attention to and wondered the same thing. They all looked towards Sasuke in wonder as he realized they wanted him to show off his Semblance. He shrugged, "Okay, but neither of those are actually my Semblance. This is."

His eyes suddenly shifted from black to red in an instant. The others looked in surprise at the sudden, almost dismissible difference in his look. Ruby rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming before she pointed out, "Hey, that's kinda like what Yang's eyes do when she gets angry."

"Yeah." Sasuke smiled, "But these let me do this."

And in a flash, Sasuke disappeared in a rain of purple petals. Everyone except Naruto looked surprised at his sudden disappearance. They looked around before Nora pointed at the other end of the hall, "There!"

They looked over to see Sasuke waving at them from far away before he dashed again and appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye. He smiled as Weiss pointed, "That-that was Ruby's Semblance! That's what you used during the test!"

Sasuke nodded as he deactivated his ability and his eyes changed back to normal, "My Semblance is Mirror. My eyes become hyper-focused and I can see things and movements clearer. They help me see my opponent's every move so I can dodge and fight better. But the best part is that I can mimic other people's Semblances."

Pyrrha blinked before a small smile came over her face, "That explains the change after I disarmed you."

Jaune's eyes sparkled, "Woah~."

Ruby was the same, "I know~."

Tenten looked at her partner, "S-so you copy other people's skills and...you can use them forever?"

Yang crossed her arms and huffed, "Oh, that's just cheating."

Sasuke shook his head, "No. I can only copy one Semblance at a time. And it only works if I'm looking at someone." He pointed at Ruby while speaking to Weiss, "I copied Ruby's Speed in the forest and used it to save you."

Weiss blinked in surprise before she suddenly felt someone's eyes land on her. She turned to see Ruby had a smug, confident smile aimed at her and crossed her arms proudly, "You're welcome."

Weiss rolled her eyes and groaned. If there was one thing she didn't need right now...it was Ruby thinking she saved her butt. Even if it was indirectly.

Sasuke's eyes fluttered and he rubbed his head, "But it really drains me if I keep using it, so I like to spare it."

"That sounds exhausting."

"Okay, well I'm sure some of us are really tired and could use a nap." Naruto said as he started walking down the hall and back to the dorms with a yawn, "I'll see you guys later."

"Hang on stupid! We gotta an assignment over the weekend!" Kiba followed after his partner, "We need to talk about how we make that work!"

Tenten and Sasuke waved to their friends before following after their team. Pyrrha looked over herself to see some small bruises and dust over her clothes, "I think I want to take a quick shower. I'm feeling a little haggard after the fight."

"O-oh, okay." Jaune looked over at RWBY, "We're probably gonna be late for dinner so you guys should go ahead. We'll see you later."

JNPR started heading back to their room as Nora waved back at them, "Save your desserts for us! We'll enjoy them when we see you later!"

"Stop rubbing it in!" Ruby yelled back with a pout before slumping her shoulders after they disappeared around the corner. She stood back up with a whimper, "I don't wanna give up my snacks."

"Get over it." Weiss answered before she started strutting towards the cafeteria, "We lost our bet and now we have to pay for it. As much as I hate losing, we have to keep our integrity."

Ruby sulked, "I hate losing."

Weiss nodded with agreement, "Just grit your teeth and bear with it."

Ruby and Weiss walked ahead as Yang and Blake followed behind. The bow-wearing slowed down a little to walk besides her partner as she saw the blonde contemplating in deep thought. She inquired, "Yang, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Yang perked up as she heard her partner's voice and realized she was daydreaming. She chuckled, "Oh yeah, sorry about that. Just thinkin' about something."

She titled her head, "What was it about?"

"Nothing much. Just something someone said earlier." Yang replied, trying to avoid incriminating Naruto with any specifics. She thought for a moment before looking to her partner, "Hey, how far do you think some people will go to keep a secret?"

Blake was a little surprised by her usually carefree partner's serious topic and looked forward. She thought for a moment, "Some people...will go as far as they possibly can for their secrets. It's just how they function."

"But that's just stupid!" Yang said indignantly as she threw her hands down and groaned. She hated when people kept keeping bigger and bigger secrets until the system became so complex they can't keep track of it anymore. Yang shook her head, "Keeping secrets is just a ticket to people ruining their time with others. Keeping them always results in someone getting hurt because of it."

"Well the people that keep those secrets aren't exempt from that pain Yang." Blake responded before looking down with a thoughtful look, "Secrets can hurt just about anyone but for some people...keeping those secrets feels easier than telling the truth. They just...they don't want to risk their world falling apart without their control."

Yang looked at Blake, "Do you really think something like that can happen?"

Blake solemnly nodded her head, "I can think of a few examples."

Yang blinked in surprise as she looked forward and saw Ruby try to talk with Weiss as the heiress just seemed to put her with the background noise. When she found out the secret about her mother...she remembered that she had put both herself and her baby sister in danger. Just because she wanted to know the truth. She didn't want to be left in the dark anymore. But if she didn't find out about that picture, then their lives never would have been endangered in the first place.

It was a double-edged sword. Keeping secrets could put a strain on one life. But discovering some could put your whole world in jeopardy.

Was it worth keeping a lie? Or was it worth risking the truth?

Man...she was too tired to think about this crap.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Well, the super important announcement was made at the top. What else is there to mention?**_

_**Oh!**_

_**Red vs Blue is premiering on April 1st! I'd say that was them trying to troll us but let's just say that's an unfortunate circumstance of opening your company on April Fool's Day. That was the very first thing that got me into Rooster Teeth. Watching Tex beat the shit out of those idiots in CGI glory was a wonderful introduction to a great series and a much wider variety of entertainment.**_

_**The only bad news is that in the trailer Church said that he would allegedly die this season. But considering that would be like the third or fourth time, people wonder how much merit to put into that.**_

_**Oh well.**_

_**RIP Leonard Church (2003-2003-2008-2012-2015)**_

_**Anyway, next chapter. I'm conflicted about what to write. On one hand, it'd probably be fun, funny, and a challenge to write. On the other, I'd be trying to describe a dream sequence.**_

_**Whatever. Cross that bridge.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	15. Mistakes of The Past

Hunting or Bust

Dust 10: Mistakes of The Past

Okay, I decided to skip some of the weird between chapters until after this little arc.

Speaking of which, this will be my first attempt outside of Titania and The Hunter at creating an original arc. Expect ass pulls, an OC, and probably a few people groaning while rubbing the bridge of their nose.

PAR FOR THE COURSE!

...

Seriously though, wish me luck everyone.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

In Team RWBY's dorm room, the girls were taking the Saturday afternoon to lounge and enjoy their free time from classes.

Weiss was sitting on the edge of her bed, painting her nails and making sure they looked perfect. She needed something to calm her nerves and preoccupy her thoughts. They had been filled with distaste and anger in the mornings as she read the paper and saw her family company's stock had been falling as of recently. Apparently a significant amount of their Dust and property had been stolen over the last few weeks and the public was catching news of it. And it wasn't even those terrorists in the White Fang causing it either.

Blake was sitting against her pillows and reading a book. She hadn't had any time for herself in the last few weeks and there had been a bunch of books to come out in that time that had caught her eye.

Yang was on her bed and silently rocking out to the music blasting through her headphones. She wanted to play it out loud and let her teammates enjoy the tunes from the Achieve Men but Weiss and Blake vividly stated she wasn't allowed to blast her music while they were around. Ever. So now her head was bouncing while she played the drums and grinding on a guitar made of air.

And Ruby had her face covered by her pillow. Because she didn't have anything to do. So she was going to take some time to enjoy the silence and rest. Just maybe take a nap. In the silence. And boredom.

...

Ruby jumped up, "I'M BOOOOOOOORED!"

Weiss flinched at her partner's sudden yell and her brush slipped off her nail and colored her hand in a bright blue paint.

Blake was startled and lost the spot in her book while her bow twitched with a subtle move.

Yang was still jamming out to her music. One of her eyes peeled open and she saw her sister and friends moving around. She pulled her headphones off, "Hey, what's going on?"

"Ruby!" Weiss sat up from her bed and looked at the younger girl angrily, "What are you doing you dunce?! Why are you yelling?!"

"Because I'm bored!" Ruby whined while kicking and rolling around in her bed. She peeked over the edge and down at the irritated heiress, "I've got nothing to do and I'm just sitting in my bed doing nothing! I have nothing to do!"

"Then just do something! I don't care what it is! Take a nap!" Weiss answered pointedly while the red-tipped girl whimpered in the bed.

"I'm not tired~."

"Do you want to read a book?" Blake suggested as she got out of her bed and stood beside Weiss looking up at their team leader. She looked down at her book and decided not to pay any mind to the fact she lost her place as she appealed to her younger friend, "I have some that you might like."

Ruby's head perked up at the idea of reading a book suggested from someone so knowledgeable as Blake but realized that wasn't what she needed right now. Ruby shook her head, "No, I...I wanna go out."

Weiss and Blake blinked before giving a look between each other in confusion. Weiss questioned, "So...you want to go outside?"

Ruby pouted, not happy about the way Weiss said that like she was a puppy that needed to be let out. She sat up, "No, not just that! I wanna get out of the school! Just-I don't know-go out to the city!"

Yang sat up at that suggestion and smiled, "Hey, that sounds like a great idea!" She jumped down from her bed excitedly and agreed, "When was that last time we left Beacon? I haven't been out since before initiation! That was a month ago! We're getting all pent up!" She came up besides her two less enthusiastic teammates and threw her arms over their shoulders, "C'mon, what do you say?"

They thought it over as the prospect became more appealing with time. As students, they were allowed to leave for the City of Vale whenever they wanted if they had the free time, considering it was just a train or Bullhead ride away. They just never considered going back to the city because they were still learning everything about Beacon. But it might be pretty good for a change of scenery.

Weiss shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose it would be nice to get out of the room for the day."

Blake gave a small nod, "I'd like to stretch my legs. Maybe go out and eat at a restaurant."

"Yes!" Ruby cheered as she jumped off her bed and landed in front of the other girls. She pumped her fist, "All in favor for a day out on the town, say aye!"

Yang cheered, "Aye!"

Weiss and Blake just stood there silently, giving their partners a dry stare.

Ruby leaned in towards Weiss, "You're supposed to say 'aye'."

Weiss shook her head and stated, "I'm not saying that."

Ruby tried to act as stern and collected as her white-haired partner, "Well~, if you don't then say it then we just won't go out at all. How about that?"

Weiss shrugged, "I'm perfectly fine with that. You're the one suffering from Cabin Fever." Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you can risk staying inside another day just because you want us to say something ridiculous?"

Ruby's composure broke and her smile turned into a straight line. Yang blinked and lowered her hand as Blake had to nod in surprise. When Weiss wanted to get a point across, she got it across well.

Ruby huffed, "Fine, don't say it." Ruby turned and marched towards their door, "I'll just ask the others and see what they have to say."

Weiss looked towards her, "Wait, are you going to ask JNPR and NKTS as well?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, of course I am. I bet they're tired of just sitting around too."

Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed, her idea of the day out getting less enjoyable at the idea that it would be crowded with all the other people of their group. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I suppose there's no reconsidering this, is there?"

"Aww, c'mon Weiss." Yang said as she patted the scar-faced girl's back, "Despite everything you say, they're all our friends. The more the merrier."

"The more, the claustrophobic like it." Weiss bemoaned before shaking her head, "Oh why bother." She waved Ruby off, "Just go get them."

Ruby grinned before she ran out the door and over to JNPR's. She knocked on the door and was bouncing on her heels with anticipation of what they were going to do today. She waited patiently...

The door finally opened and Jaune was standing there with paper footballs sticking to his collar, hood, and breastplate. He smiled, "Oh hey Ruby, what's up?"

"Hey, Jaune." Ruby looked at the paper projectiles littering his clothes, "What exactly are you doing?"

"Oh, Ren and Pyrrha went to the library to do some studying. Me and Nora didn't really feel up to it so we stayed behind." He pulled his jacket and dislodged some of the footballs, "We've been flicking these things at each other from across the room to see who got the most hits."

Nora popped in from the side with the same projectiles in her hair and skirt, "I'm winning with 7!"

"Yeah but I was making a comeback." Jaune argued to his quirky friend as she just grinned and bounced in place. He looked back to the hooded girl, "So what did ya need?"

"We were all gonna go take a trip to Vale and wanted to see if you guys wanted to come?" Ruby said as the other girls came out of the room and waited expectantly for his answer.

He immediately wiped all the paper off of him and lazily did the same with Nora without looking. He accidentally incited a quick slapping war with the orange-haired girl while still looking at the others, "Yeah, that sounds great! I was feeling a little tired just looking at the walls in our room."

Nora kept slapping away his hand, "Should we text Ren and Pyrrha?"

Jaune nodded, "Oh yeah, I bet they could you a good break."

"Sweet!" Ruby said with a bounce before looking at her team and giving them a thumbs-up. She dashed over to NKTS' door while Jaune contacted his other teammates. Ruby knocked on the door-

"DAMMIT!"

The others flinched when they heard Naruto's voice scream from the other side. Ruby cowered back a little before the door opened and Sasuke was standing there. He answered, "Hi Ruby."

Ruby nervously waved at him, "H-Hey Sasuke, we were just-"

"DAMMIT!"

Ruby shut her mouth again before Sasuke sent a uninterested look behind him, "Don't mind that. What were you saying?"

"W-we were all gonna get out of the school and hang out in the city today. And wanted to see if you guys wanted to join us."

"OH C'MON!"

Sasuke happily shook his head, "Oh god please, we can't stand another moment sitting around here."

Kiba came up behind Sasuke and was covering his ears with a pained expression, "God when he wants to yell, he can yell."

The others were confused about what was happening inside Team NKTS' room that was causing all that commotion. Weiss inquired, "What exactly is going on in there?

"Well we ran out of things to do so Naruto asked Tenten a question. So now Kiba and I have just been sitting on the sides while Naruto and Tenten...experimented."

Okay, that needed a follow-up. Yang hesitated, "Experimented how?"

Sasuke just sighed before opening the door for the rest of hem to see. Naruto and Tenten were standing closely in front of each other at the center of the room...as Tenten had a knife to Naruto's throat.

Naruto, now wearing an orange bandana to change things up, instantly disarmed the weapon and showed it to her, "HA!"

Tenten's other hand shot up and another knife was placed at his neck.

"GRRRR!" Naruto growled as he threw the knife aside into a now very obvious pile of hidden knives he had already taken. His hands blurred and he took this knife from her as well, "AH HA!"

Tenten just did it again.

"GA-YOU'RE CHEATING!" Naruto furiously pulled this knife from her as well but when he pulled he noticed a small filament tied around the end of it that led to the inside of her sleeve. He pulled and more wire started coming out as he groaned, "Oh. Oh you're toying with me now? Is that what's happening?" He kept pulling on the endless string, "Well I hope this wire is infinite because I'm not gonna stop until I find out-"

Naruto finally pulled something out and saw a small note at the end of the wire. He read it...

**Not a chance**

"GRAHHHHHHH!" Naruto started having a meltdown as Tenten stifled her laughter. He threw his arms down after his little tantrum before looking at his bun-haired teammate, "How?! How do you do this?! No one can hide these many weapons!"

Tenten grinned, "Oh, wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes! Yes I would! Because I'm going crazy seeing this!" He yelled while pointing at the pile of knives at his foot.

"Oh, speaking of which..."

Tenten stepped over and kneeled down as her sleeves slid down her arms and she then covered all her weapons from sight. She sprung back up and her knives were gone. Naruto just stared at her in shock as she slipped her last knife out of his hand, dropped it into her sleeve, and pulled down her sleeves to reveal no mechanism, "Tada!"

...

Naruto just planted himself into his bed and groaned. He felt someone looking at him and peeked up to see Ruby and the others in the doorway. She waved, "Wanna go to the city?"

"Yes please."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Pyrrha blinked and looked around the quaint little diner her more savvy local friends had suggested. On The Soup was actually a cute little place with pictures of many regular customers, human and Faunus, on its wall (granted they were on a wall labeled Fallen for some reason but Pyrrha didn't put too much thought into that). She was sitting at a small square table with herself, Weiss, Tenten, and Blake. Pyrrha looked at her small steak and salad and fixed a napkin over her lap, "I've don't usually get to go to small places like this. All the restaurants in Mistral were larger and more crowded. This is a much nicer place."

"If you say so." Weiss said as she stirred her coffee with a regal movement. She was much more used to restaurants and diners with more class and civilized atmosphere to them. Not an eatery with several TVs playing sports, game shows, and movies all at the same time. It had decent coffee though.

Blake was mixing around her tuna salad and looked at the warrior, "There are more places like this all over Vale. If you want to make up for lost time then you can just come down to the city whenever you want."

Pyrrha nodded, "That sounds like a fantastic idea."

Tenten looked at Pyrrha and Weiss with interest plastered over her face, "I've never gotten to go to one of those fancy restaurants or parties before. What are they like?"

"Well they look like a page from a book. Everything is perfect and seems to shine with a sparkle. Its entire ambiance is absolutely beautiful." Pyrrha explained before she looked off to the side with a nervous smile, "Unfortunately it can also be quite suffocating at times. You feel like you have to be on your best behavior at all times or you will screw up. People ask around but I don't think they put much interest into what you were actually saying. It can become...quite boring after a while."

Tenten deflated a little at the truth about those regal parties she had seen so much about. She sat back with disappointment now taking place of her interest, "Oh, well that sucks."

Blake flicked some of her salad around before sending a quick look to the white-clad girl next to her, "If there's anyone that can confirm that thought, it would be you. Is that right?"

Pyrrha suddenly realized that she had blatantly spoken against the lifestyle of one of her friends directly in front of them. She panicked, "Oh, Weiss, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean-"

"It's all right. You're entitled to your opinion. Plus I can't really say you were wrong." Weiss took a sip from her coffee, "While it does seem overbearing at times, it can have its upsides. You learn a lot about the world and how it works. The food is sublime. And the quiet hum of people discussing business and the music that plays while they do so is-"

"Nora, I can't catch fries just on instinct! Stop throwing them at my face!"

"But you'll never learn if you don't try! From the top!"

"Ah! Fine!" Nora started throwing fries at Kiba's face as he bit the air to try and catch them. After several attempts, he finally caught one and devoured it before cheering, "Yeah!"

Nora followed, "You did it!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Is more enjoyable than the ramblings from the peanut gallery."

At the last table Naruto, Ruby, Yang, and Jaune sat together after they had finished their big meal. Yang asked the armored blond boy, "So Cardin pushed you in the locker and fired you off...why exactly?"

Jaune just looked aside nervously and hesitantly, "Meh, I think he was just joshing around. You know, how friends do."

"No, I really don't think they do man." Naruto shook his head with some worry for his friend's 'relationship' with the larger teen. He looked back to Jaune, "When we throw stuff at each other during class and talk, that's being friends. What this is...this is bullying. Believe me, I know."

Jaune waved it off, "It's fine guys. If I can't handle something silly like a few pranks then I'll never be ready for this lifestyle."

Ruby and the others shared a look before speaking carefully to her friend, "Jaune, if you ever need help, you can ask any of us. We're your friends."

Jaune waited a moment before smiling and giving a grateful nod for their concern for him. He smiled, "Thanks guys."

...

Naruto leaned forward, "Is it fun riding in those lockers?"

Ruby and Yang sent him a small glare while Jaune just blinked in confusion. Naruto sat back up and tried to defend himself, "I'm just asking. I was curious."

Yang deadpanned, "You wanna try it too, don't you?"

"..."

"..."

"Maybe."

The waitress came over to the group of twelve, "So, how was everything?"

"Great!"

"It was delicious!"

"Very satisfying."

"Well that's good to hear." She smiled before motioning to the cash register, "I'll get the bill set up and you can be on your way."

"Um, excuse me?" Pyrrha got the waitress' attention before pointing to the wall of photos covering one wall, "Why do you have all these pictures on your wall? And why is it labeled 'Wall of the Fallen'?"

"Oh, those are the poor souls that tried our Meet the Man challenge and failed."

The Beacon students looked confused at what she said and Ren inquired, "'Meet the Man'?"

"Yep. Our chef makes this super special soup that tastes hotter than a hundred Dust crystals burning on your tongue." She pointed back to the kitchen, "If a customers asks to take it and they succeed, their meal is free."

Ruby perked up at the idea, "What happens if you lose?"

"Oh sweetie, I'm sure even if you win you still lose." The waitress pointed to the wall covered with photos, "Those are all the people that lost."

Most of them grimaced at the realization. Sasuke looked back at waitress, "Um-and how many people actually win?"

She pointed past the cash register to a small board that said 'The Risen' with only six photos on it.

A whole wall of failure compared to a total of six wins. Those were not good odds.

Naruto grinned and clapped his hands, "Okay, bring it! I'll Meet the Man!"

The waitress raised an eyebrow, "You sure kiddo?"

"Totally!" He was bouncing in his seat, "Bring it out!"

She shrugged her shoulders before walking back into the kitchen as his friends just stared at him dryly. He grinned, "I really wanna see what happens."

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, "You're gonna regret it."

"Oh you always say that."

"Because it's always right."

The door swung open and everyone in the diner shut their mouths as a big man with a stained apron walked out with an old, rusty vat of soup. He walked around the tables and gently placed the cooking pot on their table.

The waitress came from the side and took a quick picture of Naruto that immediately slipped out from the bottom. The whiskered boy blinked in confusion before he watched the chef pull off the top to reveal a dark red soup in the pot. He took a ladle and poured it into a bowl for the young student to enjoy.

Naruto took the bowl and looked at it strangely, "Is this it?" He chuckled, "Are you kidding? I devour stuff ten times bigger than this daily!"

Ruby looked up at him with worry, "Are you sure you got this?"

"I got this!" Naruto titled he bowl and started drinking the whole thing in one go. Everyone watched in shock as Naruto gulped the whole thing down in just thirty seconds. He finished it off and sighed before slamming the bowl down and smiling for everyone to see. They all stared at him in shock as he nodded proudly at his achievement.

...

His face started turning red.

...

His eyes were twitching.

...

O-oh God.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto yelled as he jumped out of his seat and held his throat in pain as his whole face turned purple. The people in the diner leaned away as he started running around wildly and screaming, looking for something to cool down his throat.

He saw Weiss freeze in surprise and looked at the cup in her hand. He charged over and pulled it out of her hands before downing it for relief from the burning. She panicked as he drank the whole thing, "No you idiot, that's-"

He spat it out, "COFFEE! AHHHH! HOTTER!"

Naruto stumbled and groaned weakly as he pushed his way out the door while some of his friends followed after him to make sure he was okay. Everyone in the diner sat quietly after the noise finally stopped and Naruto's screaming died down.

Kiba walked back through the door, "Okay well he passed out in the sidewalk so he's gonna need a minute."

The waitress shook her head, "Yeah, that's what happens. He held off as long as he could. It's a one-in-hundred chance someone can-"

"Done!"

Everyone turned back and saw Nora placing a second bowl back down after finishing her portion of the soup. She burped and wiped her mouth, "Hehe, spicy."

The chef grabbed her arm and raised it up, "Winner!"

Nora grinned, "I did it!"

The other customers clapped for the girl's victory as Kiba looked over at Ren, "How...does she do this stuff?"

He just slowly shook his head without being able to come up with an answer.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Ahhhhhhh~, this is great! I missed the city!" Ruby announced cheerfully at the front of their large group as they walked down the sidewalk. She continued leading the group, "Where should we go next?"

"How about a movie? I hear there's a few good ones that came out recently that we can check out."

"I'm up for a movie."

"How about the arcade?"

"Oh, I heard there's a new game that came out with the voices of the Achieve Men in it! I wanna check that out!"

Kiba looked behind him to the person trailing behind the group, "What about you Naruto? Any suggestions?"

His partner just glared back as he kept drinking from the complimentary water the diner had given him to cool down his throat. He couldn't respond or insult Kiba back so he just kept glaring as the tattooed teen just laughed.

The group of teens all rounded the corner away from an intersection as Ruby announced, "Okay, so movies or arcade? Who wants to go where?"

Naruto followed behind at a leisurely pace as he enjoyed listening to his friends argue and bicker about where to go. Yang opting for the arcade while Weiss said that was a juvenile choice and Blake just staying out of the conversation that couldn't grab her interest. Jaune was talking with Tenten and Pyrrha about the new movie that came just came out as the two girls nodded in agreement. Even Sasuke was holding a conversation with Ren about their fighting styles and weapons while Nora bounced around Kiba and asking him about the animals he cared for back home.

It was a weird group of people, but they were his friends.

...

Friends?

Hmm, when was the last time he was in a group and could say that every one of them was someone he liked? Was there ever a time like that?

Doesn't matter. He was glad to be here with these people now. Naruto smiled while drinking his water and looked over in the street...

And then it happened. He spotted it for just a second before the long black limo continued down the street after stopping at the light and was followed by two black vans. Through the window before the car sped down the street...

A familiar middle-aged man with greying hair.

Naruto watched the cars speed down the street and turn a corner as a few others stayed back watching at the cars. Nora whistled, "Wow, I've never seen a limo up close like that before! Hey, have any of you guys ever ridden in a limo before?"

"I bet they ain't as great as they look. Just for stuck up, over-privileged people. You know, like Weiss."

"Hey!"

"Naruto, hurry up or we're leaving you." Kiba said to their friend who was trailing behind while still watching the cars drive out of sight. Naruto didn't even seem to respond to Kiba's words before his partner asked, "Naruto, did you hear me man?"

Naruto dashed away from the group, across the busy street, and down the other sidewalk as he seemed to follow the set of black automobiles. Kiba yelled, "Naruto! Where the hell are you going?!"

The others stopped and looked back to see their bandana-wearing companion dash down the street as fast as he could. Jaune blinked, "What happened to Naruto?"

"Dammit!" Kiba started chasing after his partner, "Wait up you dumbass!"

"Hey! Wait up!" Ruby said as she started following after them, leading everyone to start running and chasing after the whiskered teen that branched off from the rest of them. They watched him quickly round the corner and out of their sight for just a moment before they moved faster and turned along the street as well. They were relieved to see Naruto was still in sight as he started slowing down and came to a stop in front of another building

Ruby, being the fastest of the bunch, made it to the blond's side first after pushing in from the back. She breathed out in relief, "Ahh, we caught up."

The others came up from behind and took a moment to catch themselves after the sudden sprinting they had to do. Weiss looked at the back of the blond with an irritated scowl, "Do you mind explaining to us why you suddenly start running away so frantically like that?"

Naruto didn't respond as he was still just staring up at the fairly large building in front of him. The others looked at the blond with confusion before looking up at the place that had captured his attention.

**The Hanau Cabin**

Ruby looked from the strange building to the parking lot full of cars, vans, and the limo that had past them moments ago. She looked at the older blond and reached out to shake his sleeve, "Naruto?"

Naruto surprised all of them by looking back with an excited smile and pleading, "Hey, can we go here first?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, "Why do you wanna go in there?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "It looks like a pretty cool place. I heard a little bit about it when I was in the city before coming to Beacon and I really wanted to check it out."

Blake questioned, "Enough that you sprinted here?!

"It just came to mind." Naruto was already making his way to the door, "We can go to the arcade or movies or whatever after this! Let's see a little bit about what the Vale city life has to offer!"

They decided not to argue with their friend's sudden request as they just entered through the front doors into a rather dark and hazy entrance. They walked into the club and saw the lights were dimmed and mostly focused as a spotlight on a stage opposite the entrance. There were small tables and long-legged chairs for people to rest on while they enjoy their drinks.

Weiss looked around at the cabaret they had found themselves in and seemed pleasantly surprised at the sight, "Dinner with a theater. Now this I'm familiar with." She let out a small cough before swatting at the smoke that filled her lungs, "I could do without all the smoking but I suppose everyone has their preference."

Jaune was walking around with astonishment at the sight of the more classical place before accidentally bumping into a large figure. He stumbled back and apologized, "Oh sorry! I-I wasn't looking and-"

The large man in the black suit turned around and was quiet even as he fixed a cold glare on the bumbling blond. Jaune felt nervous and frightened under his gaze, "U-um-I-I was just-"

"Jaune! We found our seat!" Pyrrha said as she came in at Jaune's side and grabbed his arm before pulling him away. She nodded to the large man, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

The two partners took a few steps before they looked back to see the large man had decided to put his attention on other matters. Jaune let out a long breath he didn't know he was holding, "T-thanks Pyrrha. "

She sent a look back and around at the people that filled the bar before whispering, "Don't get too far away from the rest of us. I don't think this is just a bar."

The three teams sat around three different tables and looked around at the cabaret club they had visited. There were dozens of other tables accompanying one or two people and a few VIP booths for sleazy looking men with suits to lounge back and enjoy their smoke.

Blake looked around and kept a sharp eye on her surroundings. She spoke low enough that only her team could hear her, "I think I see the reason this place seems so out of the way."

"Tell me about it." Yang said while looking around patronizingly, "Did all these guys take a class on looking shady as hell?"

Kiba was looking over a menu, "Hey, at least they got a lot of good drinks. And they serve a special steak here every Saturday. And only for..." Kiba's eyes widened and he groaned before putting the menu away, "We should probably just order water. Save our wallets the trouble."

A waiter came over to their tables and they ordered their drinks while they sat around and tried not to draw attention to themselves. While the others talked, Sasuke looked over at Naruto and noticed the whiskered teen was looking in the corner of his eye at a certain booth to the side.

The lights dimmed even more and the stage brightened as a large band with orchestral instruments and some dancers started coming out. Weiss perked up, "Oh, there we go. They're going to start playing now. Maybe that will brighten the mood."

("Ladies and gentlemen, we now present your evening entertainment. The Williams Orchestra and...Blanchi.")

A beautiful woman with long, platinum blonde hair walked out wearing a sexy red dress with a slit all the way up to her thigh. The people in the club started clapping as she approached the microphone at the front of the stage. The band started to play and the dancers started moving around before she started singing...

And sounded lukewarm at best.

The students' eagerness to hear the beautiful woman sing suddenly dropped substantially while the patrons of the bar just went back to their usual business and ignored her singing like it was just background noise. Ruby reeled back her excitement and saw the unpleasant shock on her partner's face. She whispered as to not interrupt the singing or surrounding murmurs, "You...still think she's gonna lighten the mood?"

Weiss looked ticked off and lowered her head to whisper back to Ruby, "This is an outrage! She's butchering that song!"

Blake leaned down and joined their discussion, "You know what she's singing?"

"Yes, and I know it's supposed to sound better than that!" Weiss pouted, upset with Naruto's choice for an outing that ruined the image of civil living and fine theater experience she had grown up with, "This was a waste of time."

Naruto ignored everything else as his peripheral vision only focused on the people in the corner of the room. He heard some talking that was covered up by the singer's voice and the main figure started getting out of his seat and moving towards the bathrooms. Naruto could see fine but the man he was looking at was keeping his face out of sight long enough that he couldn't get a good view.

He felt Kiba grab his arm and came out of his thoughts, "Huh-What?"

"Didn't you hear us? We're leaving man." Kiba pointed out that the others were finishing their drinks and ready to leave the club at any moment, "This place sucked so we're moving on to the next place."

"R-right." Naruto panicked and his eyes darted to the way the men had gone before he stood out of his seat, "Hey, I gotta go to the bathroom real quick. I still feel a little nauseous from that soup earlier."

"Well hurry up or we're leaving without you."

Naruto slid out of his seat and started heading to the corridor leading to the bathrooms. Once he was in the dark hallway without anyone else in sight he started slowing down and staying closer to the wall. Once he reached another corner he came to a stop and peeked around the side to see two men that had left the booth now guarding the door to the bathroom.

Well he obviously wasn't gonna get in there while they were guarding it. He looked to the two walls along the hallways and saw a supply closet across from him. He looked around the corner again and heard the toilet flush as the bathroom door opened and the guards turned to face their boss.

Naruto took his moment to dash and run into the closet before closing it so only a sliver remained open for him to see out of.

"Are you ready to go now sir?"

"Yes. I'm glad I had some time to get a meal before we had to start working. Let's continue."

Naruto heard the three men move down the hallway as they came closer and closer to passing in front of him. Naruto gulped before he finally came into sight.

It was him.

Naruto followed him down the block and into this stupid club but he was certain now. He was still an exceptionally tall man, standing at least 7 feet tall with a large build to support him. Flakes and strands of gray hair lost in a mix brown. He had some stubble and hair growing around his chin but not a lot showing he had recently shaven. Even under this dim light, his suit sparkled and reflected the light for some reason as he walked by.

Velton Wilsk.

One of the largest controllers of crime in all of Vytal.

His and Sasuke's former 'boss'.

Wilsk and his guards passed down the hallway and out of sight as they returned to their booth. Naruto slowly walked out of the supply closet with his head hanging down before he leaned back against the door and sighed weakly. He took a moment to stand there in silence before he ran a hand over his face and shook his head to rid him of all the bad thoughts filling his brain. He took a deep breath before making his way back to his friends.

He got back to see them standing by the door and ready to go. He followed after and they continued walking around the city for the next place they were gonna relax in. Weiss looked back at the bandana-wearing blond and scowled, "I hope that was as much fun as you thought it was. Because it was boring for the rest of us."

Naruto sheepishly smiled, "Yeah, sorry about that. My bad."

Nora started walking backwards, "I think we should pick the rest of the places we should go from now on."

"No arguments here."

And like that, the group of friends started making their way to their next destination.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Mmmmm." Tenten walked back into their room and stretched her arms while letting out a small moan. She yawned before plopping down in her bed, "Ahhh, now that was a good way to spend a weekend. I'm drained."

Sasuke, Kiba, and Naruto all fell back into their beds as well after the long day of fun they had with RWBY and JNPR. Sasuke laid back in his bed comfortably and looked across the room at his partner, "I agree. But this is the most fun we've had over the weekend in a long time. We should do this again sometime soon."

"Totally! Oh, that sounds like so much fun!"

Kiba reached down beside his bed and searched for the comic he was reading earlier while talking to his partner, "But we're gonna have to evaluate your choices in fun places to go."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Okay. I get it. I made a bad choice. I thought the place looked pretty nice. I didn't think it'd be so boring."

"How about seedy? Did you notice that?"

"Yeah that became painfully obvious the longer we were in there."

"Well whatever. We made up for it with the movie." Kiba finally found the issue of X-Ray and Vav he was reading earlier and continued from his previous part, "Tomorrow we should make sure our work's all done and we can meet up with the others to hang out again."

Naruto hummed and looked to the door for a moment before he started mulling something over. He slapped his hand against his face and groaned, "Dammit!"

His teammates looked at him after his sudden outburst, "What is it?"

"I just remembered I had an assignment that was sent out to all the leaders by the headmaster last night. I was gonna finish it earlier but we got so caught up I almost forgot."

Kiba groaned and shook his head, "You need to keep a note on your arm or tie a freaking piece of string around your finger to remember this crap."

Naruto got up and started out the door, "I gonna get some of it done in the library while I still can. I'll be back a little late so don't wait up." He left and the rest of his team continued to relax in their beds.

Sasuke thought for a moment before he got out of bed and followed Naruto, "I'll be right back."

He left and it was only Kiba and Tenten left in the room. After a few moments in silence as Kiba read his comic and Tenten started drifting off for an early sleep, the tattooed boy inquired, "Hey, why does it feel like there's way more space in our room than there used to be?"

Tenten raised her head and looked around a little before falling back on the pillow, "That's because Naruto moved our desks and we have the space in the center back now."

"Oh~. That makes sense." Kiba went back to reading his-

"Wait! Where the hell did he put our desks?!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto walked along the main path in the center of Beacon. He was heading towards the transport back to the city while fastening his swords to his back. He picked out his Scroll and started turning off its features so he wouldn't be distur-

"What are you doing?"

Naruto flinched and fumbled with his Scroll before grabbing it out of the air and holding it to his chest. He looked aside and saw Sasuke standing against a pillar with his weapon strapped to his side. Naruto let out a long sigh before he pocketed his Scroll and scowled at his friend, "What the hell are you doing out here?! Weren't you in the room with the others?!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Weren't you going to the library?" Sasuke pushed himself off the pillar and walked towards Naruto, "That was an absolutely terrible lie by the way. Totally unbelievable."

"Totally unbelieve-that was the perfect lie! How was it unbelievable?!"

"That you would actually do a job as a leader. If that was real, you'd forget until the last moment and then we'd have to fix it for you."

...

Well every perfect structure has a chink in its wall.

Sasuke crossed his arms, "So what's wrong? Your attention was wandering earlier and you ran into that criminal bar like it was nothing? What's up?"

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head, knowing that Sasuke would probably see through any lie he made. He let out a quick sigh before looking at Sasuke sternly, "Wilsk is here in Vale."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he started looking at the ground in thought. He unfolded his arms, "And he was in the club earlier, right?" Naruto nodded. Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking at his friend, "And what exactly are you planning to do? Specifically why are you bringing your weapons?"

Naruto gave a small smile before he continued walking ahead, "I think that's pretty obvious."

"It's not our concern anymore." Sasuke said as he pointed back at their school, "We chose to come to Beacon because we got a chance to leave that stupid life behind. Our second chance. We don't need to think about Wilsk anymore."

"We're not a part of it anymore but that doesn't mean it's not still happening while we stay here." Naruto argued back at his friend with a tinge of anger in his voice. He pointed towards the cliff and city beyond it, "Ozpin let us come to Beacon because he thought we had more to offer than just stealing shit in an effort to payback a debt that never seemed to disappear. Well now we're here and we have a chance to do something about that bastard and all the horrible things he can still do for however long he's here."

Naruto faced his best friend, "Part of having a second chance means making up for all the screw ups in the first place."

Naruto and Sasuke just stared at each other in silence after the blond's words started to sink in. Sasuke scratched his head and groaned, "Is there anything I can say to convince you otherwise?"

Naruto shook his head, "Can't think of anything."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "Then I guess I just have to make sure you don't screw everything up."

Naruto knew trying to persuade Sasuke to leave this to him would be pointless. Sometimes the Uchiha's stubbornness could even put him to shame.

The two old partners started walking down the main path together towards the city. Naruto cracked his knuckles...

"Let's take down our old boss."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**In case it hasn't been painfully obvious, I try to leave a RT reference in each chapter if I can. If you haven't, I'm actually a little proud of myself for at least being able to cover it slightly. If you have, I feel less proud. If you have no idea, check their stuff, it's funny.**_

_**Okay, this will be the last chapter for awhile. Not that I can't think of anything. Just that I have other stuff I need to write. I've just been continuing with this one because it's so easy to write about. But I need to focus on another story.**_

_**Before any of you start asking, it's the Fairy Tail story. I've been pushing it aside and I need to make up for lost time.**_

_**Did you guys see the premiere for Red vs Blue?! It was awesome! And it's the end of the Chorus Trilogy so they have to answer some of our questions!**_

_**What's so important about Chorus?!**_

_**Will Matthews finally get to step ahead of Bitters and become the true kiss-ass for Team Yellow/Orange?!**_

_**What ever happened to that hot volleyball soldier played by Jessica Nigri?!**_

_**But most importantly...**_

_**WHERE THE HELL IS DOC?!**_

_**I know that last one will never be answered. Doc is just a metaphysical concept at this point.**_

_**Anyway, back to actual story news, the evil crime boss is back and he's gonna have an affect on our guys.**_

_**Stayed tuned for the next thrilling episode/chapter!**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	16. Suspicion is the First Step

Hunting or Bust

Dust 11: Suspicion is the First Step to Falling Apart

Really struggled to find a way to make the end part right. I hope you guys enjoy. Or at least can wait until the next chapter before cursing me out.

Do you guys wanna hear about something really, really cool I found out recently.

Something called RWBY: Henceforward. I left a link on my page.

You guys should check it out. It is so sweet and tear jerking and awesome.

You'd be surprised how powerful a drawing of a happy Blake giving a small, honest, content smile followed by Yang sitting in a chair wearing a hospital gown with both her arms hung in slings beside a comatose Ruby actually is.

Hooked.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Where?

Where?

Where? Where? Where? Where? Where?!

They were good at this stuff! They had found dozens of difficult targets and acquired them within a day not too long ago!

So why?

Why was it so hard to locate Wilsk?

The city was big but not big enough to hide an important business figure like him away from the prying eye for so long. Was he underground? No, he had to keep moving if he wanted to get through with all his business and public appearances as quickly as possible. Could he be outside the city? If that was true then why the hell did he come to the city in the first place?! No one would make the trip just to go to some crummy bar for a steak!

It had been five days since he and Sasuke had started this manhunt for their old crime boss, but aside from some whispers and public forums he never showed his face at night when they could move around freely. And even when they could move around, they couldn't act reckless while searching for the underground boss. If they attacked one of his members, they would have to silence him to make sure he didn't raise the attention for the rest of the guard, and neither of them were comfortable with that idea. And all their old contacts and informants were Wilsk's people, so they probably would have sold their location away for a price if they met.

Wilsk had been controlling his portion of the underworld longer than either of them had been alive. He had learned and created different plans to keep away from a tail or stalker over the years. The people he controlled were deep in his pocket. If he had a purpose or need for your talents, he made sure you kept working for him as long as possible. Naruto knew it wasn't gonna be easy to try and take this guy down but...

The two of them had to be enough to handle this together...right?

"Uh-hum."

Naruto was finally brought out of his thoughts when he heard the deliberate coughing right by his ear. He flinched in fright and looked up at the tall, green-haired teacher that was beside his seat. Oobleck stood back up and announced clearly to the boy, "Mr. Uzumaki, I hope I have not been boring you enough that you find the need to travel off into your own little world during class."

Naruto sat back up, "N-no, sir! I was just looking off for a second!"

"Hmmm. Very well." He fixed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "Then I don't suppose I could ask you to summarize the point of the 1st Grimm War I was just discussing to the class, do you?"

Naruto blinked and looked down at his notebook to see he hadn't take a single note the entire lecture. That wasn't really a big surprise from what usually happened in these classes but he didn't even make a doodle or cool pattern to pass the time while he sat there. He racked his brain a little more before shaking his head, "Sorry...I wasn't listening."

"Hmm." Oobleck walked back down the stairs towards his desk as he announced to the class, "Everyone, I understand that for some of you this might not seem like the most compelling or enthralling of subjects to discuss, but I still expect you to pay attention while you are here. You'd be surprised just how useful knowing the past is for setting the future."

Naruto sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. He closed his eyes in shame for a moment as he heard a piece of paper being slid by his elbow. He looked down at it...

**You okay?**

He looked back up at Jaune, who he always sat next to in History, as the other blond shrugged his shoulder with some worry in his face. Naruto gave a strained smile and a thumbs up before he turned back around and stared ahead at the blackboard. But even though he was looking at the board, even Jaune could tell he wasn't actually paying attention.

It was something that a few of their friends had been concerned about for awhile now...

What was going on with him?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"-and then there was this group of people that came up to me, and started asking for advice about how to make awesome weapons and be a great leader! Then Professor Port needed me to help him fight off a bunch of Grimm that threatened to attack the school! Then Ozpin came and wanted to give me his personal thanks for saving so many people!" Ruby exclaimed proudly before sitting back in her seat and trying to sound confident, "And that's why I was so busy over the last few days."

Everyone was looking at Ruby strangely after her overly long, impossible story. Weiss was just staring at her incredulously.

The white-haired heiress raised a delicate eyebrow at her partner before she deadpanned, "And that's why you didn't study when I told you to?"

Ruby nodded, "Yep."

"And that will be the story you're sticking to?"

Ruby felt a little bit more nervous now under Weiss' glare, "Y-yes."

Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed, "Well let's see how well that story works for you when we get the results."

Yang chuckled at the banter between her sister and partner before Blake sighed tiredly. The black-haired woman closed her eyes, "Well at least Ruby is trying to be innovative with her excuse." She turned to Yang, "Why didn't you study for the test?"

Yang grinned and gave her partner a peace sign of victory, "I didn't wanna."

"At least she's honest."

"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Nora interrupted RWBY's discussion as she looked at Ruby expectantly with a twinkle in her eyes, "What happened to the little kids carrying puppies and kittens that didn't have enough money to have their birthdays?"

The older girls hung their heads as Ruby smiled, "I'm glad you asked!"

Jaune watched Ruby explain her tall tale to an engrossed Nora as the other members of Team RWBY just rested their heads and tried ignoring her words. The scruffy blond teen looked over from that side of the table to see Tenten and Pyrrha talking about an assignment from one of their classes as Ren just read from a book he brought to lunch. And finally he looked over to see Kiba staring at the empty seats across from him with a firm gaze.

The seats that they kept open for Naruto and Sasuke. But they weren't here today. In fact, they hadn't been seen very much out of class for the last few days. The team leader sat up in his seat and asked the wild-looking teen, "Hey Kiba, do you know where Naruto and Sasuke are going during lunch?"

Kiba grumbled and shook his head, "Nope, can't say I do. In fact..." His eyes narrowed more as his tolerance and patience were slowly reaching their end for this matter, "I'm getting a little pissed off that they're always ditching us!"

Jaune was surprised by Kiba's attitude towards their absence as Ren finally looked up from his book and Tenten and Pyrrha stopped talking after hearing the topic of their conversation. The bun-haired girl looked between the others before trying to calm her teammate, "Kiba, you know they're probably handling something important."

Kiba fumed for a moment before just sighing and shaking his head, "Then why don't they ask us for help or something?" He asked with a raised brow before he turned to the Arc and questioned, "Jaune, have you had any alerts or emails lately that said you have to complete some important job as a leader?"

"What? N-no. Why? Wait, did they send a message and I didn't check it?!" Jaune panicked and desperately pulled out his Scroll and started checking his messages to make sure he didn't screw up. He sighed in relief before shaking his head, "No, we didn't have any leadership meetings this week. Oh thank god."

Kiba gave a knowing glance towards the other members of their discussion and Ren closed his book, "Naruto and Sasuke must be preoccupying their time with something important. I doubt they would just be using this free time to relax or skip lunch."

"Maybe they're training." Pyrrha hopefully suggested to ease the tension she could feel building in their conversation, "We don't have many chances to train our skills and fight because the sparring sessions are randomized, so they might be using these periods to train with each other."

"Yeah, that might be it." Tenten said reassuringly as she really wanted this matter to be handled carefully. While she didn't show it as much as Kiba she was also concerned with Naruto and Sasuke's periods of absence. They would stay during class but after school was done they were gone from sight and didn't come back until she and Kiba were fast asleep.

Kiba's face scowled a little more before he turned to the other side of the table, "Hey Ruby!"

"Then they gave me a metal and-huh?" Ruby stopped in the middle of her story when she heard Kiba call her, "What is it?"

"Has Naruto talked to you about any leadership projects he's had lately, or where he and Sasuke go all the time?"

Ruby thought intently on the question as the other girls of her team stopped suffering migraines and lifted their heads again. She shook her head, "No, they haven't said anything to me. But I thought you guys knew."

"Nope." Kiba responded grumpily as his frown deepened, "Guess that means we're all being kept in the dark."

Tenten's worry grew with her friend's displeasure, "Kiba."

Yang saw the expressions on their faces and could feel the tension over the table. She pointed out the obvious, "So they leave and none of us know where they're going. So what could they be doing that's so important?"

Tenten swapped a look with Kiba, "That's what we're trying to find out."

"Have you asked them?"

"Of course we did." Kiba responded, "But it's always they had an assignment, or had to maintain their weapons, or they were at the library."

"They were at the library." Everyone looked to Blake as the bow-wearing girl explained, "I've seen them sometimes after class when I was checking out a book. They were working on a computer and discussing something about what they were researching. I never thought much about it but I doubt they would have spent all their time just in the library."

"Then what were they looking at in the library?" Ruby thought out loud before she hummed and started stroking her chin, "Hmmmm, I think we have a mystery on our hand."

Yang reached behind and pulled Ruby's hood over her head to stifle her intrigue, "This isn't really a mystery Ruby. It's just two guys sneaking around because they don't wanna get caught." She shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe they're dating in secret?"

Everyone just looked at her in shock.

Yang sat up, "What? Two attractive guys always hanging out and spending time away from other people. It's a possibility." They still kept staring at her and the buxom blonde crossed her arms and grumbled to the side, "Shut up. We're just suggesting crap at this point."

"No clues and no ideas. Hmmmmm." Nora finally spoke up before a lightbulb went off and she yelled, "Let's spy on them! Follow their moves, sneak around, and hack their Scrolls!" She sat back in her seat and whispered, "We'll stick to them like shadows. They'll never see that coming."

"Nora..." Ren stoically said before as he shook his head, "We are not going to spy on our friends."

"Awwwww~."

"Did they ever say what they did before they came to Beacon?"

Everyone turned to Weiss this time as the white heiress voiced her mind. Ruby was the first to respond to her strange question, "What are you talking about? Before they came to Beacon they were probably at another training school, right?"

"That may be, but we didn't spend every moment training in those school before we came to Beacon. We all had lives before we came here. We just haven't heard what they did before coming here. And they both knew each other before they came to Beacon as well, so they must have worked together before that."

"That's okay!" Nora responded as she pointed between herself and the magenta-eyed boy beside her, "Me and Ren have been best buddies since we were kids! Way before we came to Beacon!"

"Yes, but Sasuke told me once that he didn't think much of Naruto when he first met him. That sounds like an opinion you wouldn't make when you are just a child." Weiss pointed out, remembering the time she and Sasuke had a talk after her argument with Ruby over a month ago.

Yang raised an eyebrow, "When did you talk with Sasuke?"

"Does it matter? That's not the topic right now." Weiss pointed out immediately as to stop any of the ideas she knew Yang would create at the information she had just been given.

"Just because they did not get along when they first met, does not mean they did not become friends along the way." Pyrrha pointed out, trying to defend their absent friends with the benefit of the doubt. Until her sight went aside and she thought intently about something that had come to mind, "Although..."

"What is it?"

The young warrior hesitated for a moment, "Have you all noticed that their disappearance and absences started after last Saturday when we went into the city. And Naruto has been acting rather strange since we went to that club he brought us to."

Yang added, "You mean that place filled with thugs and criminals?"

Jaune looked at her in shock, "H-how do you know that?"

"I've been in place like that a bunch of times." Yang started counting off her fingers, "Barely lit. Filled with booze. Can barely see through the smoke. Crappy music to not distract business. Guys in suits standing around booths while their bosses do work. It's Seedy Working 101." She sat back in her seat again, "That place looked classy but it was full of baddies. I'm guessing a few of you guys noticed too, right?"

A few of the teens looked between each other after the blonde pointed out a suspicion they noticed.

Jaune was completely surprised by this revelation and sat back further in his seat.

Ruby looked between her teammates and friends as she was feeling nervous at the topic about her friend.

Tenten looked over at Kiba as the brown-haired boy cupped his hands together and started balling and releasing them. His eyes furrowed and glaring at the table in deep thought.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Naruto! Naruto, c'mon, wake up!"

"Ughhhhh-uhhhhhhhhhh~." The whiskered boy let out a moan/groan/whine as he tried to ignore all sound from the outside world and fuse with the soft sensation of his pillow. Right now, he couldn't be bothered with school or training or anything. He had been out all night and didn't get back to the dorm until it was late. There was nothing in Remnant that could convince him to get out of bed at this moment.

Tenten slumped her shoulders at the futility of waking her leader up from his deep slumber and sighed. Luckily, she had been studying her teammates habits over the last month and had devised the perfect way to wake Naruto up. She tapped his shoulder, "There's only about an hour before class and if you wanna get breakfast, now's the time."

...

"Dammit." Naruto grumbled into his pillow as he rose from his bed like a zombie with a dazed, tired expression. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, "So tired."

"Yeah well you still need to eat." Tenten responded and she patted the nightcap on his head and heard him mumble under her hand. Tenten smiled watching Naruto yawn like that. She was an only child but if she had to guess what having brothers would be like it was probably something like this. She turned and looked back over at her more responsive partner, "You ready to get something to eat?"

"Yep. Thanks for waking me up." Sasuke said as he finished getting dressed and started heading towards the door. He was just as tired as his blond friend but he could bear it better than he did. Before he and Tenten walked out the door they turned to their last teammate lounging in his bed and reading a comic, "Kiba, are you coming?"

"I'll catch up. One of us needs to stick around and make sure this moron doesn't trip in the shower." He referred to their blond leader as he haggardly dragged his feet towards their bathroom to take a shower and wake up. Kiba shrugged, "As his partner I guess that's my duty."

Sasuke looked at Kiba with mild surprise at his willingness to stick around before nodding and heading down the hall to the cafeteria. Tenten lingered for a moment and sent a look towards Kiba who looked up from his comic and met her eyes for a second. She was silent before following after her partner to get some breakfast.

Kiba sat in his bed patiently as he heard the water start to run and Naruto started humming absentmindedly while showering.

The tattooed boy stood out of his bed and started walking in place as his head was filled with doubt and thought. They needed to confront their teammates on their late-night activity but they knew that it would just be offhandedly avoided like all the other times. Whatever Naruto and Sasuke were hiding, it was important. And their secret.

...

Kiba stood still for a moment before his eyes slowly turned towards Naruto's messy bed and spotted the Scroll resting right beside his pillow.

...

No. That was an invasion of privacy. Plus Kiba would feel like a total prick looking through his friend's Scroll. He wanted to face his friends head-on and in person without having to resort to searching through their stuff.

But...

Desperate times...

Kiba sighed in shame before he walked over to the bed and picked the Scroll up quietly. Naruto was still in the shower so he didn't have a lot of time before he had to put it back in the right place.

Contacts...the standard student directory with all of his friends being favorited.

Calls...no one strange or anyone he didn't recognize, actually seeing that his calls were mostly to him and their team.

Kiba stopped and contemplated his next move before looking towards the explorer app on the home page. He hesitated, thinking about all the awkward and unsavory things that could happen when you peek at your friend's browser history before he pressed it anyway.

...

Well...this looked important.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Now while all young Grimm have a mentality to stay together in a pack, none exemplify this better than Beowolves. The young will stay together, travel as far as they can while in a pack, and attack any wayward people they may find for food. While this sense of solidarity is less prominent in older Grimm, they may still hunt in packs if they can find some of their own kind. Which reminds me of a time when I was still a strapping young Huntsman out on duty once in Forever Fall. The scarlet leaves fluttered down and I had just slain a Creep that had tried to sneak up on me-"

***Ding*Ding***

"-with my acrobatic skills I-oh, was that the bell? Huh. I seemed to have lost track of time once again." Professor Port noted as the bell had rung and signified the end of class. This was a blessing as the sound had awoken several students that had fallen asleep because the rotund man's boisterous tales had put them to sleep. He announced, "Well, that's the end of class for the week. I'll see you all again after the weekend."

Ruby felt Yang tap her shoulder and saw her big sister giving a big grin, "Hey Sis, Blake is dragging us to the library for an hour of silent reading. Wanna play some cards and totally mess up the quiet?"

"Yeah!" Ruby answered eagerly as she had wanted to have a rematch with her sister after losing the last game of cards they played. She popped out of her seat before she caught sight of Naruto walking to the exit. She watched him leave before turning back to her sister, "I'm-I'm gonna need a sec. Sorry Yang, but you can go ahead."

Yang shrugged, "Sure, but hurry up. Weiss doesn't know how to have any fun playing cards and I'm pretty sure Blake is gonna stare a hole through me when I do."

"Got it." Ruby responded before she moved through the aisle seats and out the exit. She came back into the hallway and looked around before she spotted a gray bandana quickly moving out of sight. With a little added speed she caught up to him in a second and called out, "Naruto, wait up!"

The whiskered teen heard the younger girl call out to him and looked back as she ran up beside him with her hood fluttering behind her, "Hey Ruby. Listen, I'm sorta in a hurry."

"Okay, well when you're done, do you wanna come to the library with us?" She asked innocuously as she motioned back where they came, "Me and Yang are gonna play some cards while the others are reading and I could use some help beating her. She is really good when she tries." Ruby looked around to make sure Yang wasn't anywhere in earshot before whispering, "I'm pretty sure she cheats."

Naruto looked at the red and black-haired girl before he turned back to the way he was going. He scrunched his face a little before he had to shake his head, "That sounds like fun Ruby but I-I got this thing I need to take care of right now and I can't miss it."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto felt a big wave of guilt fill his belly when he saw the disheartened look come across Ruby's face after hearing his refusal. The young huntress-in-training looked aside for a moment before asking, "Naruto, is everything okay with you?"

Naruto seemed surprised by the concern in her voice, "What?"

"You and Sasuke have been gone a lot recently. And I mean like 'a lot' a lot. And all of us are really worried about you both. Like if you're training or studying or Yang thought you guys might be secretly dating but we dismissed that real quick." Ruby quickly sputtered off in a rapid and awkward spat of words about addressing her friends' personal affairs, missing the surprised and horrified look on Naruto's face at the suggestion of him dating his best friend. Ruby realized she was yammering and took a breath before finishing, "It's just...we want to make sure you're both okay. And if you need any help then you can ask us."

Naruto was quiet for a moment as he saw the nervous but firm look in Ruby's eyes while staring up at him. He was silent for a moment before he let out a small chuckle and ruffled her hair, "Thanks Ruby. I really appreciate that. But I think we're almost done so don't worry. We'll be back real soon."

Ruby felt him pull back and rubbed her head as Naruto gave her one last grin and walked away. The girl with the red hood was left standing in the hallway by herself as the last of the students were leaving. She kept staring at her friend's back as he finally turned the corner and she decided to go meet with her team in the library.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto secured his combat vest around him as he headed towards the dorm room to get Sasuke before they went to the city. He opened the door, "Hey Sasuke, you ready to go or...what? What's going on?"

Naruto stopped in the doorway when he saw Tenten and Sasuke, dressed in his combat gear, sitting on her bed while Kiba sat on his. He saw the uncomfortable expression on Tenten's face and the worried look in Sasuke's eyes. Kiba sighed and stood out of his bed before walking beside his partner and closing the door. Naruto looked around the room at the odd behavior of his team and questioned, "Seriously, what's going on?"

Kiba stood in front of the door like a guard and looked between the blond and ebony-haired teens. He firmly stated, "We need to talk."

"Okay...and what are we talking about?"

"They want to know what we're doing after school all the time." Naruto looked back at Sasuke as the black-haired swordsman got up and slowly started stretching his legs with a walk. He put a hand in his pocket and sighed, "They wanted to talk when we were all together so we've been waiting for you."

"Everyday you wake up, you guys are tired. Naruto, you always look like you have something else going through your head during class. You both pull a disappearing act after school is done and you don't come back until we've gone to sleep." Tenten looked between her partner and leader, "What are you guys doing that is taking all this time?"

"And don't say you were at the library studying or you were working on a leadership program." Kiba immediately stated before Naruto or Sasuke could answer her, "Blake told us you didn't spend all the time in the library and Ruby and Jaune haven't had any notifications about leadership meetings either."

Ruby was right...they really were worrying about them a lot.

Naruto looked between Kiba and Tenten periodically before he finally spoke, "Me and Sasuke...have some business that we needed to take care of in the city."

"What business?"

"Something we were doing before we had to come to school." Sasuke continued the conversation, but they could notice a slight hint of reservation and concern in his usually solid tone. Sasuke looked over at Tenten, "We realized that we still needed to take care of it and...we can't put it off anymore."

Tenten shook her head, annoyed that they danced around the point again, "Put off what? What's so important that you leave us behind to do?!"

"Listen!" Naruto said sharply as he could feel his teammates' patience wane on the continued subject. The whiskered teen's whole visage seemed to struggle with the idea of his friends finding out what they were doing and what would happen when they did. He was reluctant to explain anything else but he knew he had to say something to them, "I know we keep leaving and we have a lot to explain...but this is important. This is personal. We...we can't move on until we've finished it. And we can't say why because we don't-"

_"Mr. Wilsk! Mr. Wilsk!"_

_"Yes, you over there."_

Naruto, Sasuke, and Tenten's eyes all widened before they turned and looked at the fourth member of their group, holding up his Scroll for everyone to hear. On its screen was a recent news report of business big shot Velton Wilsk accepting questions from the media at a press meeting just the other day. Kiba just glared at the ground as the video kept playing.

_"What are your thoughts about the recent allegations that the SDC's Dust inventory, their most prominent and substantial business outing, have been repeatedly stolen over the last few weeks, by the like of criminals or even the radical political organization, the White Fang?"_

The older middle-aged man nodded, _"I have heard rumors about that. And if it is true, it is an unfortunate bit of news."_

_"Considering you have several business contracts with the company to move its capital and assist with the maintenance and expansion of the CCT, do you believe these allegations will affect your business?"_

_"I believe we might go through a rough patch but like always, we will carry on."_

_"What about the effect this will have on the Schnee Dust Company?"_

_"I doubt there's any reason to worry about that. I have admired the Schnee family and their ability to weather any storm or unfortunate circumstance they meet. As they always have."_

_"Mr. Wilsk-"_

_"Sorry, no further questions. I have to get back to work now-"_

_"Mr. Wilsk!"_

_"Mr. Wilsk-"_

The video paused.

Everyone in the room was silent as they processed what they had just watched, the sound of students talking outside being the only noise that breached the almost eerie quiet.

Tenten was the first to react as she was bewildered by the video they had just watched that somehow shut all their mouths. She looked over at Sasuke to see a mild but obvious shocked look at the video while she couldn't see Naruto's face from her position. She spoke, "What was that?"

Naruto felt like a metal lump settled in his stomach and throat as a nervous chill went through his chest. His face started twisting into a look of disbelief, horror, and anger all focused into a glare at his partner directly in front of him. He nearly growled out, "Where did you get that?"

Kiba was silent as he turned his Scroll off and put it in his pocket. He answered flatly, "I found links to a bunch of these videos in your Scroll. I sent them to myself. And they're all focused around this Wilsk guy."

"You looked in my Scroll?" Naruto asked in disbelief before he snarled his teeth and grabbed a corner of Kiba's collar, "Why the hell were you looking through my stuff?!"

"Hey!"

"Naruto!"

"You're right. I shouldn't have looked through your stuff and I feel like shit for doing it. But you wanna know why I did it?! Because you're lying!" Kiba harshly grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled it off his collar before he got up in his partner's face, "All you've been doing is lying! You can't tell us anything because you won't! You can't be bothered! But we know enough!"

Naruto just kept quiet and continued his staring contest with Kiba as the tattooed boy was panting after his exclamation. Kiba spoke loudly, "You and Sasuke used to hang out together before you came to Beacon. And that bar we went to last week was full of criminals-don't try to deny it. You ran there after something like a bat out of hell and then you started disappearing. And you've been looking up everything you can on this Wilsk guy." Kiba pointed at him, "You have something against this guy and I bet you're trying to hurt him or whatever. Did he do something to piss you guys off? Or are you looking for a job? If you don't mind telling us because I'm real sick of just sitting in my bed while half my team is off doing God knows what!"

Naruto's face scrunched with anger before he shook his head, "That guy...Velton Wilsk...he's terrible. He's not kind. He's not caring. Not compassionate. Not understanding. He has no idea about empathy. He will hurt someone if he thinks it is necessary. He will kill someone if he thinks he needs to. He'll destroy their lives. He steals. He corrupts. He's just..." Naruto couldn't find the perfect word to describe this amoral monster and just spat out, "He needs to be stopped."

Kiba stared at him silently and Naruto heard Tenten ask from behind them with complete confusion, "How do you know that?"

...

"Because..."

Naruto closed his eyes as he resigned himself and Sasuke to their end...

"We worked for him as thevies."

Sasuke was the one to answer the question that was hanging in the air as Tenten ad Kiba both looked at their friends in shock. Tenten quickly looked between her sullen partner and her leader that slowly hung his head at the truth of their pasts.

Sasuke continued, "Wilsk made us his personal thieves when we messed up a shipment of his cargo. He had us working for him for two years. We stole a lot of stuff for him. Cars. Vehicles. Weapons. Dust. Whatever he asked, we brought it to him."

Tenten could only shake her head, "Why?"

"Because he would have killed us otherwise. And when we tried to escape, he tracked us, found us, and reminded us what he would do if we tried again."

Kiba was stunned by this revelation before he clenched his teeth harder and asked, "How? If you guys worked for him...how did you get into Beacon?"

"We got caught...and Ozpin found us." Naruto said with a dejected and defeated tone when he heard the disbelief in their voices. He looked aside, "He gave us an offer. Get arrested or come to Beacon and see if we had what it takes to be Huntsmen. I guess you can figure out which option we chose." Naruto was quiet for a moment before he looked at his partner, "Guys-"

***THWACK***

Kiba's punched Naruto and sent him falling the ground without another word.

"HEY!"

"KIBA!"

The boy with the fang tattoos didn't waste another moment before he grabbed his partner's collar and yelled at the top of his voice, "WERE YOU EVER GONNA TELL US! OR WERE YOU GONNA KEEP THIS FROM US FOREVER?! HUH?! WE'RE A TEAM! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TRUST EACH OTHER! PUT OUR LIVES IN YOUR HANDS! BUT YOU LIED TO US!" Kiba was seething and the others were shocked at his outburst before he shook his head, "Why?! Why couldn't you tell us this?! Or anything?! We're a team! We're friends! We could have helped you! Understood why you did this! So why didn't you trust us to help?!"

Naruto was shocked by Kiba's pleading questions and roars and was silent as his partner caught his breath. Naruto looked at him and tried to open his mouth but couldn't find the right thing to say. They had trained, fought, suffered, and beat every obstacle together as a team. Tenten and Kiba had been training years for this opportunity. And now that was all in jeopardy. What could he say that would ease their minds about these secrets they kept?

He couldn't.

The blond closed his eyes before plainly answering...

"Because it wasn't any of your business."

...

That...was not what they expected.

None of them thought Naruto would say that.

Sasuke knew a lot of things would be going through Naruto's head right now, and there were only a few reasons he could even think his best friend would say that.

Tenten and Kiba were hurt by that response. They felt betrayed and cheated by all the truths they just discovered but that answer just plain hurt.

Kiba didn't say anything as he let go of Naruto's collar and dropped him back on the floor. Kiba lowly demanded, "Get out."

Naruto sat on the floor before standing up, fixing his vest, and walking past his partner without looking back. He opened the door and walked out without another word as an unbearable silence filled the air. Tenten shook her head, "W-wait. Naruto."

He was already gone.

She looked over at her partner and saw Sasuke staring ahead in thought. The raven-haired boy started following after his friend and headed towards the door.

He walked past Kiba and Tenten reached out, "Sasuke-"

"I don't know how this might affect your time here. I hope you just get a new team and can move on without any problems. But if we've messed this up for you both..." Sasuke stood in the doorway and lowered his head, "I'm sorry."

...

"I know we only knew you guys for a month. And it might not seem like it...but this was some of the most fun I've had in my whole life. And I know Naruto thinks the same. So even if you guys are angry at us..."

Sasuke looked back with a faint smile and nodded, "Thank you for putting up with us."

Kiba still had his back turned and Tenten's eyes seemed to water as the swordsman walked out and left them in the room.

The two hunters-in-training stood in absolute silence. They had expected their conversation to get heated and angry...

They didn't think their team would separate like this. So abrupt and surely.

They heard a door open and some footsteps as Jaune and the other members of JNPR walked out of their room. The blonde knight looked down the hall before peeking in their room and asking, "Guys? We heard some yelling. W-what happened?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**If some of you think Naruto's answer is a bit OOC...you're exactly right. And that's why they're so angry.**_

_**So I'm sorta leaving it off on a heavy note...and it might take some time before I update again...**_

_**Happy thought...happy thought...**_

_**Oh! Did anyone see the new VS? Lindsay playing Ultimate Storm 2! Technically Ruby in Naruto! I'm kinda stretching it but that has to be some kind of canon somewhere!**_

_**Y-yeah. Joy. H-happy times...**_

_**...**_

_**I'm...I'm gonna go now.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	17. What Are Friends For

Hunting or Bust

Dust 12: What Are Friends For

Over 100K words! And 300 reviews! My baby's getting big!

...

It...is...happening! RWBY Vol.3...underway.

Not only that.

Ruby Rose: Saori Hayami

Weiss Schnee: Yoko Hikasa

Blake Belladonna: Yu Shimamura

Yang Xiao Long: Ami Koshimizu

I'm so happy.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"THOSE-THOSE-THOSE HOOLIGANS! RUFFIANS! RAPSCALIANS! LIARS! CHEATS! IMMORAL CREATINS! TH-THOSE JERKS!" Weiss yelled at the top of her lungs before she started panting and tried to get some air back into her system.

Everyone was staring at her in surprise after her short but substantial outburst.

Yang raised a hand, "Okay Weiss, calm down-"

"No! I won't calm down!" Weiss refuted pointedly as she was still fuming from the news they had just been given. She pointed out the door, "We've been consorting and living with our 'friends', who turned out to be nothing but thieves that lied their way into this school, lied to our faces, cheated through the tests, and probably stole some of our stuff without us knowing!"

Blake pointed out, "They didn't say anything about cheating on tests or stealing our stuff."

Jaune felt something click in his mind, "You know what, I was wondering how Naruto took the pencil out of my pocket without me knowing."

"See! Even when they were at school, their dastardly ways seeped through!" Weiss scrunched her face up with a mix of a frown and scowl at the memories of those two boys as they passed themselves off as comrades and friends. She furrowed her eyes, "To think we've been living around those two for nearly a month! I always thought there was something weird about them! But lo and behold, they were criminals! And they are part of the reason my family's company has been terrorized so often lately!"

Blake spoke, "To be fair, that's been happening for a very long time. And has still been happening even when they came here."

"Don't you start that up again!"

"Okay. All right. Let's all just calm down and take a moment to breathe." Pyrrha suggested as she sat up out of Weiss' bed and tried to calm the heiress down before things got out of control. A worried look came across her face before she looked over to see Kiba with his arms crossed and looking at the ground while Tenten looked down sadly. The warrior asked, "And you're sure about this? That is exactly what they said?"

Tenten gave a sad nod, "They said it directly to our faces. They were thieves. The stuff they stole. The works."

Kiba sighed and ran his hand over his face, "It didn't leave a lot of room for interpretation."

Everyone seemed unusually saddened by this news as they gathered in Team RWBY's room to hear the story and the remainder of Team NKTS' view. When they heard Naruto and Sasuke just left, they had to know the reason why. Even if it was starting to get really late into the night. But they did not expect this to be the reason.

Nora was especially different from her usually chipper self and asked, "So where did they go?"

"We don't know." Tenten answered with a shake of her head, "They argued. We yelled." A sad expression filled her eyes again, "We got angry and told them to go. And they left. Our best guess is that they're somewhere in the city right now."

Ren took a few steps forward from his place against the wall, "They are probably still trying to go after that man they said they worked for. Velton Wilsk."

"That man!" Weiss fumed again as the second reason for her ire tonight started coming into the conversation. Her shoulders started shaking with her barely contained rage, "My father spoke highly of that man. Always said he knew good business. Was loyal in a world where that concept was always foreign and could never be expected. But hey...looks like that was a lie too!"

All of the Hunters-in-training were surprised to learn that Velton Wilsk, a rather notable entrepreneur and business manager, was also the head of a underground crime network selling all kinds of contraband on the black market. And two of their close friends were partially responsible for giving him his illegal merchandise.

It was a lot of information to take in after only ten minutes.

Jaune's thoughts couldn't even begin to comprehend how severe and hurtful this event might seem to the rest of his friends. But his thoughts immediately went to one subject, "So what do we do when we see them again?"

They all turned and looked at the tall blond with varying looks of surprise at his question. He felt his stomach twist at all the attention and whimpered out, "W-what?"

Pyrrha asked her partner, "Jaune, do you think they will actually come back?"

"Well yeah, I think so." He saw that none of them changed their facial expressions and felt like he answered wrong again, "Why? Is that weird?"

"They aren't coming back." Kiba stated simply to the blond to get the point across. He crossed his arms and frowned, "We screamed at each other and they spilled their dirty secrets to us. Plus I punched Naruto in the face and told them to get lost." He looked off to the side and finished with a deflated tone, "I'm pretty sure we said everything we needed to get across before they left."

"I really don't think so." They looked at Jaune as the clumsy boy scratched the back of his head, "I-I mean I'm not sure what they'd do, and I can't say I know what's going through their heads right now, but you guys were only yelling at each other for a few minutes. If you wanted to say everything there was about something important like this, I think it'd take a lot longer than that. So I thought they would come back because there was a lot more they wanted to say to you." Jaune then shrugged his shoulders, "At least that's what I think."

...

Some of the teens looked between each other at the idea.

"Ummm-what..."

Ruby finally spoke up after being silent for so long and looked towards the two remaining members of the broken up team. She asked hesitantly, "What did you think when they told you all this stuff?"

Tenten raised an eyebrow and asked the younger girl in return, "What do you mean?"

"Well I haven't seen a lot of guys like that up close, you know the thieves and big criminals and stuff, but the ones I have seen always seemed so sure about what they're doing. Like that Torchwick guy I met before I got to come to Beacon." Ruby thought back to the fateful night and the encounter that had led her to this school, "I thought he seemed so full of himself, and he was happy with what he was doing and didn't care at all about who he might hurt. Like he didn't care what happened around him or to who as long as he got what he wanted." She looked back up at the bun-haired girl, "Did they seem like that when they said all that stuff to you?"

Tenten was befuddled by the young scythe-wielder's request and remembered as best should could everything they said and did when they talked. Tenten remembered, "They didn't want to tell us what they were doing or why. And when we found out they seemed...horrified. I couldn't see Naruto's face but Sasuke looked like an old wound was reopened or something. And when they told us they sounded so...sad...a-and guilty, and-"

"Sorry." Kiba added his own opinion on the matter, "They sounded like it was something terrible they didn't want to remember and they were asking for forgiveness. They were sorry." The brown-haired boy pulled his arms away and to his side, "They seemed sincere all the way up till the end, when Naruto said it wasn't any of our business. After that...it just looked like he was trying to swallow lead."

Weiss crossed her arms and shook her head, "Well they can be as sorry as they want, but that doesn't change anything. They're crooks."

Ruby looked over at her partner sadly, "But they're still our friends."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked her naive partner before questioning, "How do we know they don't still want to be thieves? They took coming here as an alternative to being locked up-they might not have even wanted to be Huntsmen in the first place." Weiss just seemed exasperated trying to prove her point before quietly asking, "How much do we know about them?"

...

"How much do we even know about each other?"

This time, it was Blake's question that caused everyone's words to fail them as they stood quietly in the room.

...

"Well...I really wanna know if Ozpin just sorta takes anyone in if they impress him. Ruby. Those two. If I knew it worked like that I would've gone up to him years ago and-WHAM! Instant kickass." Yang tried to lighten the downer mood with a little joke.

Which no one seemed to appreciate as they all looked up and gave the blonde the same pointed glare.

Yang just sighed and leaned into her bed, "Fine. Kill the fun." Yang crossed her arms and pouted, "This sucks because now the only other guy that could have fun in this group left. Now no one can enjoy my comedic genius."

Ren had to speak up, "To be fair...no one enjoyed your 'comedic genius' in the first place."

"Y'know-"

"That! That too!" Weiss pointed up at Yang and stated to everyone present, "That's something we need to take care of right now."

Blake inquired, "What? Yang's complete inability to make a funny joke?"

"Y'know-"

"No, not that! Professor Ozpin's habit of just picking people up by probably just impressing him!" Weiss stated before putting a hand on her hip, "Plus we all know trying to fix Yang is just a fevered dream."

"Okay..." Yang sat on the edge of her bed with a peeved look and shook her head, "Weren't we talking about our runaway friends and their dealings with an underground crime lord? When did this become 'Pot Shots at Yang Day'?"

Weiss ignored Yang's concern and continued, "Ozpin completely threw aside our safety in the interest of bringing those two into this school. For what? A hunch? A social experiment? Rehabilitation?Whatever it is, it needs to be addressed."

Ruby's shoulders slumped down even more and she looked down sadly at Weiss' topic. She started rolling her shoe into the ground and pensively looked to the side-

"And no, I don't mean you."

Ruby looked up in surpise, "Huh?"

"I'm not questioning why he asked you to come here. I know that's what you were thinking. I could see it all over your face." Weiss quickly shot down all insecurities building in Ruby's head as the heiress placed both hands on her hips, "Even if you still act like a dunce all the time, I've seen why he would bring you here. That much I think I figured out. But these two...I need to ask him myself."

Weiss started marching towards the door.

The others looked at her in surprise as Ruby held a hand out, "Wait Weiss, you aren't-"

And Weiss just left the room and walked down the hallway towards the main building in a hurry.

"-going to ask Professor Ozpin yourself-and she's totally gonna do that."

"Wow. She is actually gonna chew out the headmaster."

Everyone looked between each other as their brains kicked in and they tried to determine what would happen when a stubborn and unwavering girl with prestige like Weiss confronted and started accusing a powerful, influential man like Ozpin.

...

It was only about one second later that they all jumped to their feet and chased after the ivory-haired girl.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss was quickly marching down the hallway and making her way to the elevator to go up to the top level. Her head was filled with points and discussions and everything that might possibly come up during the argument with counter points to refute him.

Weiss was a meticulous person. When she knew she was getting into a fight or discussion, especially with someone that presented himself as composed as Ozpin, she had to think ahead about what would be said.

Some of the others started to catch up to her march through the hall. Pyrrha tried to persuade her, "Weiss, maybe it's better to calm yourself before-"

"Pyrrha, calm or heated, it doesn't make a difference." Weiss furrowed her eyes forward, "This matter needs to be brought to his attention."

Yang spoke next, "So you're gonna march into Ozpin's office and...what? Sit down and scowl at him until he starts talking to you?"

"I doubt it will be that hard."

"Okay! Okay, let's all slow down." Jaune quickly ran in front of the group and stopped Weiss from going any further. He tried to negotiate with her, "Look Weiss, we..."

Jaune froze under Weiss intense, unnerving, unwavering, soul-crushing stare. Her usually cute face and blue eyes had become icy pools that sent chills up Jaune spine and a stare that measured him up, sized him down, and completely crushed all his arguments before they even came out.

The group just looked between the short white-haired girl and the tall blond that just seemed frozen in place. Pyrrha looked between them and raised her brow, "Jaune? Are you okay? Were you going to say something?"

"I-I think I was, but Weiss is so scary right now that my mind is totally a blank."

"Yeah, she does that a lot." Yang nodded in understanding at her fellow blonde's predicament. She said offhandedly to Pyrrha, "She stares at me and Ruby like that sometimes, we just totally lose our track of thought. It's like her stare digs straight through you just to shut you up."

Weiss growled at the idiotic blond, "Move. Now."

"Okay." Jaune complied and stepped aside, allowing Weiss to continue moving through the hall. He hung his head in shame before the rest of the group past by and Tenten gave him a quick pat on the shoulder to console him.

Ruby was following in the back of the group and racking her mind about all the things they had been discussing. Was Weiss right? Did Ozpin have a legitimate reason for asking people to come to Beacon like this? Or was it just for fun? Did he have a reason asking Naruto and Sasuke here? What about her?

Then there was Naruto and Sasuke.

Was all this talk about them being thieves and bad guys true? Or just a really, really bad dream? Did they hurt people for that Wilsk guy? Did they even consider any of them friends? Did they want to be Hunters like the rest of them?

...

She thought so.

Maybe she was just trying to make things better in her mind, but when she thought about Naruto and Sasuke she thought they were no different from the rest of them. They had fun. They were good. And she thought they really wanted to become Huntsmen.

She couldn't help think of them as anything else but her friends.

As Ruby was falling behind, she heard a door open and close to her right along another hallway and looked up to see their target. The silver-haired headmaster was walking out of a classroom with a hand full of papers he placed under his armpit as he took out his larger Scroll. Ruby's mouth fell open and she started pointing silently in the direction of their target as she heard someone come back to catch her, "Ruby, what's wrong?"

The shorter girl looked up at Blake and loudly whispered, "It's Ozpin! He's right over there!"

The bow-wearing girl looked over to see their headmaster and noted, "Well, Weiss isn't going to be happy when she walks into an empty room ready to argue with nothing."

Ruby leaned back and saw their group start heading in the wrong direction, "Should we tell her?"

Blake look back and shook her head, "I really don't know how this situation would play out, but I don't think we need an angry Weiss leading the charge." The calm beauty looked down at her teammate and gave her a willing look, "I think someone who's more curious and less angry should handle this matter."

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Right!" She looked back ahead and stood there in silence with the tall beauty for a few moments. She blinked innocently and looked up at Blake, "Um, who are you talking about?"

Blake responded with a silent, flat stare directed at the hooded girl.

She got a clue, "Oh you mean me-yeah, okay." Ruby took a deep breath, smothered the massive swelling of nervousness in her belly, and started walking over to Ozpin. Blake stood within earshot and hid behind the corner as Ruby finally reached the older gentleman, "Professor Ozpin."

The headmaster looked up from his Scroll and saw the red girl step up to him. He closed his Scroll and addressed her, "Oh, hello Ruby. I haven't seen you since the team placement ceremony. How have you been?"

"Oh, y'know, I've been getting by."

"I hope you've been able to keep up with all your assignments and school work."

Ruby seemed sheepish at the topic and scratched her chin, "Y-yeah. Well I've been doing my best. Weiss has been keeping me get on top of things. And Blake. And Yang. And Pyrrha. And Tenten. But we get a lot." She seemed to look up at him, "I don't suppose you might be able to have a hand in that or-"

"Sorry. All assignments and work loads are handled by the professors. I can't change that Ruby."

The hooded girl seemed to deflate, "Yeah, couldn't blame me for trying."

Ozpin secured everything in his grasp, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some work I need to finish and I'd like to get a head start on it."

"Yeah, okay." Ruby waved the man off before realization hit, "Oh, wait! Professor! Actually..."

Ozpin stopped and looked back at the girl, "What is it?"

"Well...there's something I wanted to ask you. Something really important." Ruby was hesitant and seemed very bashful about how to address the topic on her mind. She tried to think about ways to lead up to it but she knew she needed to get an answer quickly. She took a deep breath...

"Naruto and Sasuke...why did you bring them here even though they were...you know..."

Ozpin seemed to understand what the girl was referring to. Not that it was a particularly difficult task to guess what she was referring to if she was bringing those two boys into question. The older man turned to face the girl and repositioned himself for a discussion that would go much farther than light greetings, "So...you've found out about their past dealings before coming to Beacon?"

Ruby gave a small nod, "Yeah."

"Did you tell them?"

Ruby shook her head, "No but I'm pretty sure I know how they feel."

"And does anyone else know?"

Ruby's face seemed to gain a little hue and she started stuttering while avoiding his eyes, "N-no way. It's just me. I-I'm the only one who figured out all this stuff because I'm good like that. Y-yep, just me."

Ozpin's gaze moved up and he saw a small group of his students led by Weiss come back around the corner. The heiress spotted them and seemed to fume a little but before she could take a step, Blake popped out from behind the corner and grabbed Weiss before ducking back out of sight. The others looked at the girls in surprise before they looked between each other and dove behind the wall to stay out of sight as well.

Ozpin gave a small hum, "Hmmm, indeed."

"So...if they were thieves, why did you want them to be Huntsmen?" Ruby asked once again with an unsure tilt of her head, "Why did you bring them here? We're you trying to convince them to do something? Or...or rehab them?"

Ozpin was confused by her words, "Do you mean rehabilitate?"

Ruby realized her flub of words, "Oops. Yeah. That thing."

Ozpin was silent in thought for a moment before asking the hooded girl, "Ruby, do you think it's in our design to make mistakes?"

She was confused, "What?"

"We always seem to make mistakes. And even when we try to learn from some of them, we continue to make them throughout our lives." He looked down at the younger girl, "Can you think about any mistakes you've made recently that fill your head?"

"Umm, yeah. I make a lot of mistakes." Ruby looked up in thought and started counting off her fingers, "There's the time I accidentally knocked over this really expensive bottle of Weiss' perfume and it all went down the drain, so I replaced it with water and soap and never told her. And I borrowed one of Blake's books without asking and accidentally tore some of the pages so I had to hide it and tell her it just went missing. And before I came to Beacon I wanted to see how far I could catapult rocks with a springy object and I couldn't find one so I used Yang's bra but it got ripped and I blamed it on our dog. Oh, and I wanted to try some of Naruto's dessert while he wasn't looking and I got greedy and ate the whole thing so I blamed it on Kiba-"

Ruby looked down at all the things she was counting off her hand and realized she was incriminating herself. She hid her hand behind her back and gave a nervous smile at her headmaster, "I mean...yeah, I make a lot of mistakes too."

Ruby didn't notice the large amount of angry grumbling and threatening looks she was getting around the corner from the people she screwed over.

"Yes, we do." Ozpin noted before he looked off to the side, "I believe I have made more mistakes in my lifetime than any other person I have met before." Ruby was surprised by that claim and Ozpin gave a reserved motion of his head, "Granted I make that claim only because I believe it to be true. I may be wrong but I have not met someone else who could carry that burden." He looked back at Ruby, "Now if you could go back and change some of those mistakes, would you?"

"Um...yeah, I probably would. I don't...really know how-"

"Because you can't change the mistakes you've made." Ozpin finished her thought, causing Ruby to look up at him with intrigue at what he was talking about, "None of us can change the past. All we can do is live with what we've chosen and try to move on from it." Ozpin recalled the night he made the decision, "I walked into their rooms after they had been apprehended and I could see two boys...burdened with so many mistakes and trying to carry on despite them that they had completely lost sight of what they could have become. What they could have done."

Ruby asked, "Is that why you brought them here?"

"That's why I offered them the chance. When I met you, I saw an aspiring young Huntress waiting for her time to come despite being as prepared to face the challenge as any other student this year. When I met them, I saw two young boys with exceptional talent being forced to waste it for the wrong reasons. They wouldn't give the name of the person they worked for, not out of loyalty but out of a reasoning that anything the police did to them would be nothing in comparison. Two boys with so much to offer, with the only choices of dying in the streets or wasting away in jail...so I gave them a third option. Take a risk and come to this school. And despite their initial complaints and suspicions...I saw something in their eyes at the possibility presented to them. A second chance. To do something better. And they took it." Ozpin pushed his glasses up his nose, "Whatever people say about those two, I could tell they would have rather risked their lives in the pursuit of a good cause than lived following a bad one."

Ruby looked up at the wise headmaster as his words started to sink in. She felt a strange feeling stir in her stomach before she asked the older man, "I understand that...but what if they couldn't move past what happened to them? What if they make you think they're better of leaving?"

Ozpin was silent and didn't question her concern at the subject before he nodded, "Well then that relies on you doing something completely different."

"What's that?"

"Have faith Ruby." Ozpin gave a solemn nod as he looked down at his young hooded student, "When it seems like you can't do anything else...all you have left is to have faith and trust they can come around. It can't solve all the problems in the world, but a person's faith can do a lot to motivate them."

Ozpin lifted the papers in his arms again and nodded to the young lady, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get these papers done before the end of the day. I hope whatever problem is plaguing yours and your friends minds...you'll find your solution to fix it."

Ruby stood there silently as the headmaster rounded the corner and left her sight. She turned around and started heading back the way she came as she reached the end of the hallway and looked to the side.

She saw all of her friends hiding behind the wall as they heard her conversation and were contemplating the same thing.

Their next move.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Two men in suits walked out of a club after an evening packed with partying. One man half-drunkenly inquired, "You sure you don't wanna stick around a little more? The rest of us are gonna see how much we can drink off Glimmer before we get thrown out!"

The sober man shook his head, "Can't. It's my shift watching the boss tomorrow. Unlike all you guys, I need to stay sober so he doesn't have my neck."

"Ha! That's why you shoulda joined the Thursday patrol, dumbass!" He stumbled back into the club, "Woohoo!"

The sober man clicked his teeth in annoyance and fixed his suit, "Stupid drunk bastard. Tch. Whatever." He started walking back towards his hotel with a peeved scowl on his face. He was making his way back with a very stern scowl about his expected work effort to protect their big boss and not being able to drink anymore tonight.

"Hehehe."

The suited man looked around when he heard the strange sound echo through the empty streets. He stood there in place before deciding to ignore it and continue forward-

"Hehehe."

He turned around quickly and reached for his concealed weapon as the laughter reached his ears once again. He sternly looked around until he felt an empty can bounce off the back of his head and he turned around to see a figure run into an alley across the street. He gave chase, "Hey! Stop right there!"

He chased after the speedy figure until he rounded a corner out of sight. He came around as well and saw the shorter figure cornered against a fence and facing away from him. The man in the suit frowned and started cracking his knuckles, "Okay kid, first I'm gonna-GAH!"

The man in the suit was crushed and slammed into the ground when another figure jumped down from above and landed right one top of him. Naruto lifted himself up and wiped his vest before kneeling beside the unconscious, moaning bodyguard and searching his pockets. He found what he wanted and pulled out the Scroll to show his partner, "Got it!"

Sasuke turned around and gave a small glare to his friend. He shook his head, "Next time, you get to be the distraction."

"Well you were the one to suggest we lure one of them out of the way and make it seem like he got knocked out during a robbing. Just seemed right to let you play the bait." Naruto pulled the Scroll open and started searching through its contents.

Sasuke walked over and looked down at the unconscious man they had attacked. He reached down and pulled out his wallet and took all the Lien he had. Naruto looked up from the Scroll and gave his friend a confused look. Sasuke threw the wallet down on the ground, "When you're done put the Scroll back in his pocket. This way it looks like a real mugging and that all we wanted was his money." Sasuke walked over to a trash can and tossed the money inside before walking back to the blond's side, "What did you find?"

"He...hasn't done anything for a week." Naruto said tiredly as he shut the Scroll and rubbed his eyes, "He's only going to work for Wilsk tomorrow and that's at the club from last week. None of his other meetings. None of the locations of the stolen goods or where they're transferred. He's just another bodyguard."

Sasuke walked over to the corner and looked back over the street at the bar they had been shadowing for the last week. While picking up on a lead they were following from a guard that worked for Wilsk the previous day, they found this bar where the businessman's numerous personal guards go to unwind. Some of them had already finished their work for the week. Others were set to work some time soon. But they all shared one thing in common...

None of them guarded Wilsk for more than a day before the guard switched.

"He keeps changing the guys that guard him so they don't become a liability. You can't question or interrogate people that don't know anything."

Naruto sighed and kneeled down to put the Scroll back in the right place. He stood back up and furrowed his eyes, "He's meeting back up at The Hanau Cabin tommorow afternoon. Maybe...maybe that's where he makes all his deals."

Sasuke asked, "So...what do we do now?"

Naruto was silent for a moment before just giving a small nod, "If that's the only time we know where he'll be...then we just have to attack him then."

Sasuke didn't give an reaction to Naruto's statement before asking again, "You think the best way to take Wilsk down now...is to attack him in a place brimming with low lifes and criminals?"

"I don't think it's the best way." Naruto rebutted with narrowed eyes before he answered with a defeated tone, "I think it's the only way now."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He was silent as Naruto's words sunk in and finally started to settle. Sasuke sighed before patting Naruto's shoulder and pointing upward. The ebony-haired teen leapt up and landed on a fire escape as Naruto watched him quickly climb his way to the roof. He stood alone with the unconscious body for a moment before bracing himself and jumping up to follow.

Naruto climbed up to the roof and saw his friend standing alone by the duct. Naruto looked around with confusion at their change in scenery and asked, "What is it? What's going on?"

"I didn't have anything I could say to convince you otherwise when we started this...now I do." Sasuke was silent for a moment and turned to face his best friend, "What are we doing?"

Naruto kept a firm look at his old partner before repeating their cause, "We're trying to take down Wilsk-"

"That's what we started doing. Now our team is broken and we're planning to wage a war against all the criminals of Vale." Sasuke interrupted with a shake of his head, "No, now all we're doing is desperately trying to avoid the problem at hand."

Naruto stayed with his lips sealed and his blond hair peeking out from underneath his bandana, partially obscuring his eyes as he looked aside.

"We need to go back to Kiba and Tenten."

Naruto's face seemed pained at the topic of his new friends and their falling out just a few hours ago. He looked at the ground and shook his head, "I'm pretty sure they made their point pretty clear on not wanting to see us again."

"That's doesn't mean we can't at least try."

"They're done. They don't wanna see us anymore." Naruto pointed back the way they came, "We have to focus on catching Wilsk now-"

"He can't be our concern. At least not now." Sasuke responded with a firm glare at his best friend and growled with tension in his voice, "When we were sneaking around trying to handle this then that was one thing but we've put everything out now. We brought Kiba and Tenten into this. We've put everything they've worked on for years in jeopardy and now their futures are on the line."

"Ozpin knows they're good and he'll have to let them continue." Naruto said uncertainly, "This isn't their fight."

"Why do you say that? Why did you say that to them back in our room?" Sasuke intently questioned as his patience was waning and he needed to hear an answer from his friend, "Were you upset because they found out about us? Angry they were airing out our dirty laundry? Because you and I both know we have a lot worse to admit to than just this! So why did you tell them it wasn't their business?! Why did you say it like you wanted them gone?!"

"Because I can't protect them!" Naruto finally yelled back as everything building up in his head finally burst out, "You're strong! You can handle this fight but they don't know this world! If I got them involved they'd get hurt! A-and I don't want them to get hurt!"

Naruto was panting after his roaring declaration as Sasuke stood there silently in front of him.

The blind's face fell from anger and resigned to fatigue and worry as he shook his head, "I can't get it out of my head. Knowing we worked for that bastard and that we just got a chance to make things better for ourselves. So I wanted to make up for it. Save people. Stop bad things. The stuff Huntsmen are supposed to do. And I wanted to do it alone at first because...I can't think of bringing anyone else in danger and I'm supposed to protect them. I...I can't protect anything. That's why I said that to them. I'm sorry but I'd rather them hate me and you than risk their lives out here." He shook his head in disappointment, "I can't go back home and see them again."

...

"You called it home."

Naruto looked up, "What?"

"Home. Beacon. Our room. The others. You called it home." Sasuke noted, "All the years you and I worked and lived together you just called them the base or the hideout or the apartment. But you called that place your home. Like it's somewhere we actually want to return to." Sasuke gave a faint smile, "To be honest...that might be the first place I can call home in a long time too."

They hadn't had a family in a long time. For their own reasons they were alone and were only friends with each other. They never stay in the same place. They were employed under a mobster and forced to work under him, even if they got reimbursed by their stealing, it was still just keeping them in the same place. They had no close contact. They had no people they could call friends.

They were alone.

But now...

They had friends. They had a place they could stay in one place and live a new life. They got to laugh. They got to get annoyed. Mad. Happy. All the things they never believed they would get to experience in their lives...

All of it was back home.

Sasuke walked up to his friend's side and patted his shoulder, "I know it might be hard...and they might still be mad at us...but we have to at least try to talk to them. They're our friends." He lowered his hand, "I want to stop him too...but now might not be the time to do it. Maybe...we just need to wait. You want to go home?"

Naruto lifted his head and sighed before giving a reserved nod, failing to convince himself that he would want to be anywhere else than Beacon.

Sasuke nodded in return, "Then let's go home."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto and Sasuke silently walked through the halls as they returned to the dorm close to midnight. They didn't want to raise any alarms or wake their friends up as they walked up to the door. Sasuke moved to knock but Naruto held his hand up, "Wait. I'll do it."

Naruto walked up to the door and hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath in and exhaling. He knocked his knuckles against the wood, "Kiba. Tenten. It's us. Can...can we talk?"

They waited for several moments but there was no response.

Naruto nervously tried to convince them some more, "I know you guys don't want to see us. Probably don't wanna talk to us either. But we're..." He sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied and said those things to you guys. But you have to understand there was a reason. We just...we need to talk to you."

...

Still no answer.

Naruto frowned, a little more than miffed that they didn't answer him after he was bearing his heart after a lot of soul-searching. Well, they had a reason for ignoring him and he completely understood they were pissed...but still this was just rude.

"Maybe they went to bed?"

Naruto looked back and gave Sasuke a stone glare which the swordsman replied to with a shrug of his shoulders. He looked down at the handle and lock and clicked his tongue before unlocking it with a swipe of his Scroll. Time to dive right in.

The door clicked and swung open to reveal the curtains closed, and the lamps and lights all shut off. The two boys walked in and the room was completely pitch black. Nothing in sight...

Except...

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you guys-"

"GET 'EM!"

Instantly, several people jumped the two teens and covered their heads with pillow cases. Naruto panicked and flailed his arms, "HEY!"

Sasuke tried to push back, "WHAT ARE YOU-"

"GET THEIR LEGS!"

"LET'S MOVE!"

"GO! GO! GO!"

Naruto felt his arms get held and someone grab his legs as they ran a few dozen feet somewhere else. Despite Naruto's jostling, they were adamant on not letting him go. Finally, he felt them let him go as he plopped down in a seat beside Sasuke in front of a desk and lamp.

He heard a girly voice take on a deep and gruff tone from behind the lamp, "Okay you two, time to spill it."

Another voice, masking itself with a rough growl and false depth followed along, "We got some questions. You've got the answers. Tell the truth...and everything will work out just fine."

Naruto squinted his eyes against the strong light from the lamp. He covered them and bemoaned, "Ruby, can you please turn off the lamp. It's killing my eyes."

Ruby got her regular voice back and mumbled, "Oh, sorry-"

"You dunce! Don't turn off the light!" Another voice somewhere else in the room reprimanded the girl's faltering, "You're interrogating them right now. You can't cave into their demands."

"O-oh right, sorry Weiss."

"And don't say my name!"

Blake spoke up in the dark, "I'm pretty sure they've already figured out it's us. So can we stop with this weird cop bit now?"

Jaune grumbled, "Does that mean we can turn the lights back on? I stubbed my toe walking in the dark an it really-"

"No! Lights off!" Nora, the other interrogator, sternly demanded with some eager mirth in her voice, "We need to instill fear into their minds. Tell us the truth...or we'll start dislocating things!"

"Nora!" Pyrrha gasped out in shock, "I think you're going just a little bit too far with the intimidation technique."

Kiba whispered, "She's doesn't mean that, right?"

Ren gave a small shake, "I recommend we don't test it."

Nora slammed her hands down on the desk, "Velton Wilsk! Is he really the bad guy you two said he was?!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked around the room where he knew his teammates and his other friends were standing. He wasn't shocked that they would find out what happened between their team and their problems with the crime lord, but he was surprised they found out so quickly. But what were they doing?

Were they playing a jury?

Were they going to come to a decision once they finished talking?

Or maybe they wanted to be here and hope that the two boys told them the truth.

He spared a look towards Sasuke who seemed willing and ready for anything. Naruto looked forward at the light and the interrogator standing behind it, knowing that he needed to tell the truth if he wanted to convince them to believe him. He steeled his resolve, "Yes. Velton Wilsk is the crime lord and thug we talked about. Extortion. Theft. Larceny. And some counts of first degree murder."

The room went silent at that. Tenten had to ask, "Did you guys ever have to do that for him?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No. We stole things. We were offered a chance to kill someone for a higher rank in his organization but we never went that far. We were thieves. That's all we decided to be working for him."

They heard some sighs of relief at that answer.

Blake was next, "Why were you forced to work under him in the first place?"

Naruto's turn, "We ruined a shipment of some stolen goods and they were destroyed in the process. He tracked us down and made us steal stuff to pay him back. After a while...he just wanted us to stick around as his lackeys."

"Why didn't you run?"

"We tried once. He caught us before we left the town and told us we could never get away."

"Did you ever want to leave?"

"Most days. Others...we just started falling into the motions of working for him."

...

"How did you get caught? The last time, I mean."

They two boys looked off in different directions and Naruto scratched the back of his head and awkwardly answered, "He wanted us to go steal a shipment...of Dust and Dust Clumps from a special exchange site for the SDC. We didn't get very far with it. Hehe-"

"Grrrr-"

Yep. They knew she'd be pissed at that one.

The heiress took a calming breath and controlled herself. She continued, "When did you meet Ozpin?"

"At the station we were being held at. He just sort of walked through the door and sat down, telling us everyone he knew about us and what we could do."

Kiba was the one to ask his question now, "And that's when he offered you the chance to come here?"

"Yeah. Go behind bars, or do something right."

"And why did you choose to come here?"

"Beside the obvious...because it felt like a dream. An impossible chance to do something new. Something better. To get away from whatever we were doing for that man and actually be of some help." Sasuke nodded his head, "We had to take it."

...

After a moment, it was finally Ruby that spoke up...

"Do you guys regret ever coming here?"

...

"Honestly?" Naruto asked.

...

"I think it was the best decision I've ever made in my life to come here. And I love it."

...

"Okay."

The lamp turned off and Ruby flicked the lights on, revealing they were in RWBY's room with everyone either sitting in the beds or on the floor. The red-clad girl gave a big smile at her friends, "I think we can trust them."

"Good." Jaune stated as he got back up to his feet and rubbed the back of his head, "I'd hate losing some of the few friends I've actually got."

Pyrrha stood up from Weiss's bed and nodded with her partner, "I agree. It'll take some time, but it's better to forgive than to hold a grudge."

Weiss just crossed her arms and humphed, "We'll see."

Yang jumped down from her bed and looked around, "Okay, so are we done with all the serious looks and frowns now? It was like being stuck in a room full of Blakes and Weiss all day long."

"Hey!"

"Yeah, the gang's back together!" Nora proclaimed as she dashed around the table and wrapped her arms around the two boys' necks, giving them a tight squeeze as she smiled, "Now we can have a reunion party! With snacks! And balloons! I can totally get some games to play real quick if we do!"

The ginger girl released her hold on them and ran over to the side as the boys rubbed their sore necks. They looked up and saw Kiba and Tenten make their way over to their side. They got out of their seats to face their partners and the team stood around each other silently.

...

***THWACK***

Kiba punched Naruto in the arm.

"OW!" He yelped as he rubbed his bicep and glared at the tattooed boy, "What was that for?"

"Everything." Kiba stated with a growl before glaring at his partner, "You told us that crap before because you didn't want us involved, right? You didn't want us to risking our lives because you thought we would charge in stupidly, right?" He narrowed his eyes, "It seems like the kind of dub idea you would think of in a panic."

Naruto blinked and was frozen for a moment before looking off to the side, "...Maybe."

"Knew it. And I got swept into it too in the moment. Damn." He crossed his arms, "I'm just gonna tell you straight up...you screwed up big time not telling us any of this crap and keeping us in the dark. And I'm especially pissed you thought we wouldn't be strong enough to handle a problem that came our way. And if I need to remind you about that we can step outside at anytime and beat the living hell out of each other." Kiba placed the side of his fist against his chest and proclaimed, "No matter what happens, we're a team now. We're stuck together. And we need to trust each other. You have to prove we can still have faith in you as our leader...and you need to trust that we can handle whatever comes our way." Kiba held his fist out to his partner and smirked, "You got a lot to make up for now, got it partner?"

Naruto stared at Kiba before giving a small smirk of his own and pounding the fist in return, "Yeah, I got it." They lowered their fists and Naruto pointed out, "This means you're not gonna be looking through my stuff anymore, right?"

"I didn't wanna look in your Scroll in the first place. It was Nora's idea that got me to do it." Kiba responded with a grimace, "I was worried I'd accidentally find all your weird porn sites and images if I did look."

Naruto growled, "I don't have that stuff. Stop lying."

As their teammates got back into their routine, Sasuke looked at Tenten and smiled, "Thanks for not giving up on us."

"You're our partners. And our friends. We weren't gonna turn our backs on you just like that." Tenten smiled, "We'd never get through the four years if we broke up this easily. But just consider this the probationary period for now. We'll wanna talk and figure this out more after we've finished up."

Sasuke asked, "Finished what?"

Kiba was the one to answer, with a confident smirk as he punched his palm and spoke firmly, "Finished taking down this Wilsk bastard, of course."

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled as he, Sasuke, and the other people in the room looked at Kiba and Tenten with disbelief and shock.

The bun-haired girl nodded her head, "Yep. We're gonna help you take down Velton Wilsk once and for all."

Naruto's mouth just kept opening and closing as he failed to form words.

Kiba cracked his knuckles, "He might have been your problem before coming to Beacon, but now you're a part of a team. If he's tormenting you guys, he's messing with all of us. And now instead of hiding this from us, we'll help you take this prick down a few notches."

He stuttered, "Y-you-"

"Hold on."

They all looked over at the white-clad heiress as she spoke up and pushed herself into the conversation. She took a few steps closer to Team NKTS' huddle and looked up at them, "I'm helping too!"

"No!" Naruto answered with a shake of his head as he looked between his teammates and the privileged girl, "They're one thing but you can't be a part of this! This is definitely not your fight-"

"Actually it is." She responded firmly before glaring between the whiskered blond and the raven-haired teen, "Or have you forgotten just whose goods you've been stealing for this man for two years now?"

Naruto tried to argue...but was drawing a blank under Weiss' stern scowl.

She placed a hand on her hip, "I'm not interested in your personal quest for redemption or revenge or whatever. In fact, I'm still hesitant about whether we should be letting you stay here or reporting you." She said with a small frown aimed at the two former thieves before she shook her head, "But I know that it's much more important that we stop this man from being able to continue his crimes without punishment. If he's avoided capture and arrest this long, he must have some way of protecting himself from the law. And I'm certain my father wouldn't listen to me if I warned him one of his business partners was a criminal stealing from him without any proof. So if you want to bring him down and make sure he stays there, you'll need proof of what he's stolen and where it's gone." She crossed her arms proudly, "And if that man thinks he can steal from the Schnee family without consequence, then he has another thing coming."

They all stared at Weiss with surprise etched over their faces at the usually stubborn girl's offer to help, even if it was for personal reasons.

"Finally! Weiss suggests something fun to do!" Yang proclaimed while throwing her arms up in a cheer, "Miracles do happen!"

"I'm not totally sure how offering to take down a crime lord and his organization is a miracle in any way." Blake stated before she settled back with her arms crossed and a reserved smile on her usually stoic face, "But if we've got the chance to take down a man like this, then it might be entertaining."

NKTS was silent as Ruby walked up to Naruto and smiled, "You ask and we're there. It's what friends do."

"Um..."

They looked over as Jaune raised his hand and nervously shrugged, "I don't really know this guy and he hasn't stolen anything from me, but if he's hurting people then I think he should be stopped too." Jaune shed his usually meek attitude and smiled, "I'll help anyway I can." He then realized he made this decision by himself and looked over at his partner and team for reassurance, "If you guys are up for it, I mean."

Pyrrha patted his back proudly and gave an affirming nod, "I think that's a splendid idea."

Ren agreed, "We are Hunters. We do what we can to help whoever may need it."

Nora was bouncing on her feet with excitement, "This! Is gonna! Be awesome!"

With that decided, JNPR and RWBY stood beside NKTS as they waited for an answer. Kiba and Tenten nodded and turned to look at the de facto leader of this makeshift operation.

Naruto suddenly felt all of their eyes land on him. He looked around and saw all of them had a firm fire in their gaze that said they were not wavering on the matter. No matter if it was for personal reasons, to help their friends, or because they thought it was the right thing to do, they were invested to help and stop this guy.

Naruto felt a cold sensation fill his belly at the idea of putting these people, the ones he was starting to cherish as a family, at risk.

But the cold was slowly switched to a calming warmth...

This was what it was like to have friends stand by your side through the thick of it.

All his prior thoughts about them not being ready and getting hurt...were replaced with visions of them standing tall and victorious through the hardship...

...

Naruto took a deep breath in before grinning, "Okay..."

He looked between them all and nodded...

"Let's take Wilsk down."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**We got a dream team coming up. Not just in-story, but Japanese dub voices too. Seriously! All of these people are ones I know from some of my favorite shows! I love this! Now all I need is...**_

_**Jaune: Ryohei Kimura**_

_**Nora: Haruka Tomatsu**_

_**Pyrrha: Sayaka Ohara**_

_**Oobleck: Rikiya Koyama**_

_**Port: Noria Wakamoto**_

_**Goodwitch: Kotono Motsuishi**_

_**Ozpin: Sugita Tomakazu**_

_**...**_

_**Pfft.**_

_**I meant all of these as a joke, but can any of you imagine Ozpin doing the same long, shitless silver scream as Gintoki does when he's scared?**_

_**"Welcome to Beacon. Your hardships begin-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	18. The Not So Special Ops

Hunting or Bust

Dust 13: The Not So Special Ops

The link is on my page. Copy and paste. Believe me, it's more fun to let it play in the background as your imaginations go to work.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Okay...this is what we know."

A Scroll slid out into the middle of the table with an image of their target...Velton Wilsk.

"Velton Wilsk. Millionaire. Entrepreneur. All around nice guy. And also a menace to society and criminal mastermind."

"Bet he doesn't put that on his biography."

"Wilsk has been in this business for a long time. If there's a criminal or illegal act you can think of, Wilsk has probably committed it several times. And despite all these years of breaking the law, he's never been caught."

Pyrrha reached out and pressed another tab on the Scroll, bringing up several stories about high-ranking criminals being arrested after having their illegal activity discovered by Law Enforcement around Remnant. She clicked on the pictures to reveal several men and their mugshots, "Naruto and Sasuke said that during their time working for Velton Wilsk, they heard these mens' names come up in conversations around them. Apparently, when one operation was discovered and taken down, these men were arrested and identified as the heads of the operation. But in truth it was actually Wilsk. So when one criminal group is taken down, someone like these men are used as a scapegoat to take the place in jail, probably receiving payment and protection while they are incarcerated, allowing Wilsk to move on scot-free and continue somewhere else."

Jaune sighed tiredly and griped at the unfortunate circumstance of what that meant, "So I guess we really can't just go to the police and tell them he's bad, right?"

Weiss gave the tall blond a pointed look, "This man is so well known that even if we walked up to my father and told him he was a crook, he wouldn't believe us. So no, we don't get the benefit of the doubt on that."

Pyrrha shook her head, "Sorry Jaune."

"Uhhhh, figures."

Yang crossed her arms, "So if we wanna take this guy down, we have to get actual proof he's involved with this stuff and discredit him?"

"That's right."

"Great." Yang said sarcastically before looking around, "Any suggestions on how we do that?"

"Catch him in the act!" Ruby announced before looking around at all of them, "We follow him, watch him steal some stuff, get it back on him and wham! He's in the bag!"

Weiss shook her head, "He's been stealing a massive amount of Dust reserves from my family's facilities for a number of years now and has never been caught." She looked at her partner skeptically, "How exactly do you plan to 'catch him in the act'?"

Ruby nervously shrugged her shoulders, "Well, I didn't say it was going to be easy."

"It seems impossible."

"But he has been stealing a lot for a very long time." Blake repeated, before narrowing her eyes in deep thought about something. She looked over at Naruto, "Did you two steal a lot of things while you were working for him?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. Tons."

"Like what?"

Naruto sighed and crossed his arms before looking up in thought, trying to find an answer for the black-haired girl's question. Naruto tilted his head, "We stole Dust. Cars. Vans. Trucks. This big cache of top-line weapons from an Atlesian Military base. Umm...doughnuts from some cops once."

The others looked between Sasuke and Naruto silently, startled at what the whiskered boy offhandedly listed as their scores over the two years of work. Tenten hesitantly pointed out, "Uhhhh...one of those sounded like a federal crime."

Naruto waved it off, "Nah. The police didn't need the calories."

...

"Anyway..." Blake continued on from the abrupt silence and Naruto's cluelessness, "If he has all of this stuff in his possession, he is going to need somewhere to hide it. Somewhere big."

Sasuke thought about the prospect of a storage for all the stolen items before shaking his head, "No. He's taking and moving things around from all four kingdoms. All over Remnant. He wouldn't collect everything in one place."

"It doesn't have to be one place." Blake answered, "We just have to find one place that has some of the stolen goods and connect him to it. Directly."

"Look for his crap." Kiba simplified the concept and nodded, "Okay, that's doable. What else do we have going for us?"

Sasuke drew their attention, "Naruto and I followed one of Wilsk's guards earlier and got a hold of his Scroll. When we did we got a look at his schedule and where he was going to be tomorrow."

Nora asked, "How'd you do that?"

"I jumped down from a fire escape and knocked him on the ground."

"Cool."

"It said that Wilsk will be at the same club we went to last week. But if someone as reclusive and wary as Wilsk is going anywhere twice in the same visit, then there has to be something going on at that club like a deal or contract." Sasuke gave a firm nod of belief, "If we go there, I'm sure we can track him."

"He's working with other guys, huh?" Yang questioned as she seemed to disappear into thought before a wry grin came up, "Well I think I know a few guys I can ask around and see if they can tell us anything about him."

"All right. Then I guess that's one thing we can do tomorrow." Naruto looked around at the other members of their makeshift team, "What else?"

Ren answered, "We can try searching for any businesses and buildings located in Vale under Wilsk's name. We can't be certain if they'll have anything but it would be just as beneficial a place to search as any."

Ruby beamed, "So then it sounds like we're going on three jobs! Looking for information! Scouting out the other buildings! And waiting for the big baddy himself at the club!"

"Since there are twelve of us and three jobs, I guess we should be in teams of four. I volunteer for the scouting job." Blake answered first with a raise of her hand, "I have some experience with subterfuge and I think I can handle doing that part."

Ruby gave a big smile with glee at her teammate's willingness to enlist in a group, "All right, Blake can take care of the subtlefuge."

"Subterfuge." Blake corrected.

"S-summitfuge." Ruby tried again.

"Sub-ter-fuge."

"Sub-ter-fuge." Ruby bounced back up, "Blake can handle the subterfuge." She looked back and got an affirming nod from the black-haired girl at her fixing of the word.

Ren volunteered, "I'll do it as well. I don't have much experience but I can stay out of sight and be quiet."

Well, no argument there.

Kiba raised his hand, "Count me in. Stealth ain't really my go to plan but if we need to track these guys and see where they've been, I can handle that."

Naruto raised an eyebrow jokingly and smirked, "You sure you ain't gonna get lost again like last time?"

"I'm sorry are you questioning the mistakes I've made in the past, Mister Professional Thief?"

Naruto smiled became a straight line and he gave a dull move with his head, "Point taken."

"Then I'll round out the stealth unit and we'll look through those buildings together." The swordsman of Team NKTS stated before pulling out his Scroll, "We should start-"

"Actually~..." Yang cheerfully interrupted before she shrugged, "Are you committed to the surveillance idea? Because if not~, I'd like if you came with me to gather Intel."

The others looked at the boisterous blonde with confusion. Most evidently on Sasuke's face as he seemed befuddled by the suggestion, "I don't think I can be of much help. I don't have any contacts in the city that wouldn't inform Wilsk right away-"

"I don't need you to do anything like that. It's just the guys I'm thinking about asking need some extra incentive to give me the goods without busting out their fists. And to do that I need some help with the intimidation factor. So I need you..." Yang pointed at Sasuke before moving to Pyrrha, "And you..." And finally turned to Nora who was happily humming a little tune in her head while they discussed taking down a crime lord, "And you."

"Me?" Pyrrha seemed startled and confused as to why Yang would pick her for the 'intimidation factor'. She asked questioningly, "W-why me? I don't think I would be able to help much in that effort."

Yang waved her worry off, "You'll be fine! Take your spear and your shield and just give the meanest look you got!" Yang happily pointed out, "Just look the same way you do when you fight! All serious and scary and stuff! You'll be fine."

Pyrrha reflexively reached up and patted her cheeks to see if they were fine, "M-my face doesn't look scary when I fight! D-does it?"

Everyone seemed to avoid her gaze and she even heard a few awkward coughs on the subject.

Jaune apologetically answered, "Sorry Pyrrha."

The greatest warrior of their generation just seemed so defeated at that moment.

"Okay, Sasuke and Pyrrha are one thing, but why Nora?" Naruto asked before looking at the shorter girl, "No offense but you don't exactly scream intimidation. Your scream more like cute and cuddly and...need of sedation."

Nora happily replied, "Awww~, thank you."

"Don't worry. She'll get things done."

Tenten hesitantly raised her hand, "Then I guess I'll go with the surveillance. Any way I can help."

"Then it's decided." Weiss commanded and got their attention as she looked around, "You four will handle gathering information from other crooks." She looked across the table, "And you four will stake out the buildings under Wilsk's name. Which means the last team that will wait for him at the club with be comprised of me...and..."

Ruby immediately dashed around the table and brought Naruto and Jaune in with her arms around their shoulders, "Look Weiss! We got the best and most fun team right here!" Naruto seemed to agree with the sentiment and wrapped an arm around the hooded girl's shoulder while Jaune nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

Weiss' arms fell from their fold and she sighed, "Fantastic."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The inventory worker lifted up another crate of wine and beer bottles and loudly inquired, "Boss, am I taking this straight to the counter? Or are we putting it in the back?"

"The back! Obviously!" The man giving the demands was very tall, wearing a black vest with a white shirt underneath it and a red tie. He had short black hair and a beard and mustache. Hei Xiong pointed at his clipboard, "We already filled up the counter so it's going to the back! All of it's going to the back! Do you all get that?"

"Yes sir." His workers groaned.

"Then get going." He impatiently demanded as his hired help carried the bottles into the club and left the tall man standing outside with the trucks. The large man sighed annoyingly and rubbed his head, "Good help. It is basically non-existent at this point. I mean why do I have to spell out every little thing these morons have to do?"

"Well maybe you're just hiring the wrong guys, Junior?"

Junior flinched and jerked back in shock at the sickeningly playful and sweet voice that came from behind him. He turned around and felt an enormous sense of dread start to fill the pit of his stomach again at seeing his least favorite person so soon.

Yang was leaning against a stack of crates and intruding through the opening of the top crate. She pulled out a bottle and opened it before leaning in and taking a whiff, "Or maybe they don't take you seriously?" She tested the drink with a quick swig before making a grim face and putting it back in with the others, "What's with the lower quality drinks, Junior? You used to have Strawberry Sunrises and Banana Blamma Martinis. What happened?"

Junior grumpily answered, "You came and wrecked everything."

"Oh. Right. Duh." Yang feigned ignorance and bopped the top of her head. She smiled and walked around the crate towards the large man only for him to take a full step back away. She inquired, "Aw, what's wrong Junior? Scared to be close to a pretty girl?"

"The last time we were close you punched me through a window. And the time before that you punched me through a glass column! And before that you nearly crushed my balls!"

"I leave one heck of a first impression, don't I?" Yang joked before her joking visage vanished and she seemed far more focused on one task, "Now I have some questions I need to ask and you're just the guy with the answers."

"Go away!" Junior growled menacingly before he pointed towards the street, "Leave! I am not gonna waste my time helping a psycho freak like you! We've started fortifying since you were last here. One call and I'll have all my guys, tougher and packing more heat than before ready to fight. Plus Militia and Melanie have been itching for a rematch with you."

"Yeah, and I'm sure Thing 1 and 2 would be a blast to meet again, but all those other guys are a bit too much for me to handle by myself." Yang feigned worry and fright at the idea of fighting and army of mooks, "I'm just a helpless, pretty little girl." Yang then got a big grin and Junior felt his superiority shrivel, "Luckily I decided to travel with friends this time."

***Thud*Thud*Thud***

Ohhhhhhhhh...that didn't sound good.

Junior gulped loudly and slowly turned around and craned his head back to look up at the top of the trucks. Standing on top of them from right to left was a black-haired boy with a sword in his hand, a familiar redhead with a spear and shield, and a short ginger girl waving happily towards him with a hammer over her shoulder. A very, very big hammer.

Yang walked up beside him, "Yeah...since I was last here I made a bunch of friends. Sweet guys. Always worrying about me." She pointed up at the boy, "That handsome fella is Sasuke, a total beast with a sword. The tall chick that draws your eye is Pyrrha, but I'm sure you've heard of her before. And that's Nora."

Nora waved, "Hello~."

"She's a really fun girl."

"Totally!"

"And she loves that big hammer of hers."

"Love it to death!"

"Don't make her drop the hammer."

"I would literally destroy everything here!"

...

Junior struggled for a minute about the implications of starting a fight like this before he sighed and grumbled, "What do you want?"

Yang patted his back and walked around him as her friends jumped down to the ground level, "Like I said, I need information."

Junior walked over and lifted a crate to unload onto a higher platform, "I already told you before I didn't recognize the lady in that picture you showed me."

Yang scoffed and waved the thought away, "Oh please. I'm not so petty that I'd come back here with reinforcements just to beat a dead horse. But if I do find out you knew something and are lying to me, I'll destroy that horse. I'll make glue out of it so you can put the pieces of your club back together when I'm done." Yang placed her hands on her hips, "No, I'm more interested in a potential business buddy of yours. Velton Wilsk."

Junior looked at her in surprise before just letting out a long groan, "Geez, you really know how to pick 'em, don't you Blondie?"

Pyrrha leaned in towards Sasuke, "I think that means we're getting somewhere."

Sasuke nodded, "Pretty solid guess."

Junior hefted the crate and shook his head, "For one thing, and I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but you should avoid getting on that guy's bad side by any means-"

"Too late."

"Of course." Junior deadpanned, "Well I don't know what to tell you. Guy's been doing this for a long time. He seems pretty paranoid about who works for him and when. He doesn't like to leave much of a trail. What else can I tell you?"

Yang started swaying her head, "Oh, I don't know Junior, how about...his methods, his habits, his hobbies, his location, his business, and any and all weaknesses you can think of. How's that?"

Junior was silent before shaking his head, "There's no way I can tell you that. Besides the fact I'd be painting a target on my back by telling any secrets to people like you, I don't know anything about him as personal as that."

"Well what do you know Junior?" Yang's leaned against a crate and it started to shift with the applied weight, "Otherwise we've been wasting time, and if that's true, I won't quite appreciate that."

"Well I don't know what to tell you! Back when daddy dearest was still running the whole show, all he ever did was get weapons from Wilsk!" Junior patted his own chest, "I try to stay away from getting tangled up with him. Once he gets you in his hand, it becomes particularly hard to wriggle out."

Sasuke could attest to that. But instead of saying anything in response to that, he noted something the club owner said previously, "Your father did business with him? Where? In the city?"

Junior was quiet and thought for a minute before nodding, "Yeah. It was some old building up street a few years back. He used to do some business out of there but the city had it demolished and built something else in its place. That's pretty much all I know."

Yang didn't seem content with this lack of useful information but Sasuke just nodded, "All right. Thanks for your time." He looked to the blonde and motioned back to the Main Street, "I think we should move on."

"Move on? But he didn't give us anything."

"He gave us something. That's better than the nothing we started with." Sasuke responded to Nora's question before looking at Yang, "If he hasn't told us anything yet then I'm inclined to believe he doesn't know anything. We should head to your next contact."

Yang seemed conflicted before sighing and shrugging her shoulders, "Whatever. You're off the hook to day Junior. But if I ever need some help asking around, I'll come a callin'."

Junior exasperated, "Don't get yourself killed. God forbid you take that weight off my shoulder."

Yang giggled, "Aww Junior, you kidder. We all know I'll be sticking around for a very long time."

"Whoopee."

The team from Beacon walked off and were on their way to the next location. Pyrrha spoke to Yang with slight surprise, "Considering the criminal status you allude to, you were quite...lax confronting him so mischievously."

"Who? Junior? Nah, he's just a big fluffy kitty I beat up a while back. He knows better."

Sasuke hesitated, afraid to hear the answer, but his curiosity was overwhelming, "What-um-what exactly did you do to his balls the last time you met?"

Yang smirked, "Enough that he wouldn't forget."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake was positioned two streets over from a building she had been staking out for the last hour. The place she was looking from was, in her opinion, adequate for getting the job done. There were numerous places and areas on the roof of the building she could hide behind to avoid the the surveillance and cameras of Wilsk's building. Unfortunately, to avoid any detection and staying this far away, a good portion of the view was obstructed by surrounding buildings.

Luckily she still had a view of the front where Wilsk's limo had parked. And she could see through the windows and watch him move. Plus she had really, really good vision.

***Ding***

Blake was pulled out of her focused mindset when she felt her Scroll start to vibrate from the call she received. She pulled it out and saw Tenten's standard profile flashing on the screen. She opened it up and answered, "Tenten, what is it? Did you see something? Is something wrong?"

_"Yeah, umm...I really don't know what I'm doing."_

Blake was silent. She closed her eyes for a moment before feeling the need to ask, "What?"

_"Well remember what I said about not being all that good at being sneaky? Turns out I totally suck at it. I have no idea what I'm doing."_

Blake could do nothing but shake her head exhaustedly. Amateurs. Well, it was a bit too much to expect many others her age to have received infiltration and surveillance training like she did. But didn't most normal kids growing up want to play as a spy at least once in their lives? She'd have thought all those tip-toeing and hiding around corners lessons should have sunken in. She asked, "What have you been doing so far?"

_"Nothing useful. Staying quiet. Looking around corners. I don't wanna make too much noise so I've been sneaking from place to place and being very quiet."_

Oh wow. She was actually right.

Blake shook the thought out of her head, "Are you still where I positioned you?"

_"Yeah, I'm still on the street keeping an eye on the limo. Wilsk hasn't come out for the last hour and the driver and bodyguard have gotten out of the car for a smoke."_

"What are they doing now?"

_"Playing against each other in Slappy Bird."_

Figures.

Blake kept her gaze focused on the front entrance while talking to the inexperienced member of her stealth team, "Don't panic. Just stay where you are and keep your eyes on them. If anything changes or you see them move, you can contact me."

_"Oh, okay. That I can do. Hear that, Kiba, looks like I can sneak around after all-"_

_"Less talking. More clandestining."_

"Wait, Kiba? Is Kiba on the-is this a conference call?"

_"Yeah. I wanted to see how he was doing on his job."_

"You understand it's a bad idea to be having a conference call during a stake-out, right?"

_"Well then we won't make it loud. How are you two doing?"_

_"Watching two guys fail to play an app properly."_

"Greatly reconsidering the effectiveness of this operation."

_"Well that sounds dandy. I've been sniffing around all over downtown and the business district of Vale. And despite nearly gagging from the various smells around the place, I've been getting some traces of our guy at the spots we isolated. But they all have the same things toning on. Guys wearing cheap cologne. Ladies covered in Weiss-levels of perfume. Ink. Papers. No gunpowder. No oil. No Dust. Nothing."_

_"Kiba's right."_

Great. Ren was on here too.

_"I've searched through the records of the buildings and nothing appears out of place. They all just seem to be branches of his businesses. I can't discern if any of them have a hand in his theft."_

Blake leaned away from the Scroll and sighed. Not out of impatience for her team's strange behavioral traits on their mission, but from the obvious lack of any clear strides in their task. She was right when she thought how difficult this job would actually be in the front lines. Turing to find the hideout and underground system of an experienced crime lord was never going to be easy.

But if Blake could be sure of one thing, it was that Wilsk was human...

Which meant he had to make a mistake somewhere along the line.

***Ding***

Blake felt her Scroll vibrate again and pulled it back to see she had just received a message. She viewed it and saw a picture of Yang giving a big grin and a peace sign towards the camera.

When did her picture change? It was supposed to be just the stock profile supplied by the school.

Oh. Never mind. Yang was her partner. She instantly figured out that the blonde probably took her Scroll without her knowing, took a picture of herself, and set it up for her default. Man, when she wanted to do something nothing got in the way.

Blake pulled the message up and read what her partner had texted her.

**Wilsk used to work outside old building in Vale few years back. Upper district. Was dealing all his stuff out of there. Tore down.**

**Replaced**

**Check for stuff in that area**

**Gonna go terrorize some thugs~**

**See ya later~ 3**

Blake just dryly stared at the screen, unable to sigh or groan as she was somehow able to hear the singsong voice her partner implied with her words. She decided to forget it and went back to the call, "Ren, can you hear me?"

_"Yes."_

"Can you look up any reports about a building Wisk owned a few years back in the upper city that was demolished? It might have been replaced by something else."

_"I'll see if I can find anything."_

"Thank you."

_"Blake, they're moving. Wilsk just came back out."_

Blake stepped to the edge of the roof and peered over the streets to see Wilsk walk out of the building and into his limo. The older man disappeared into his car and started going down the street and out of sight.

The bow-wearing girl ran to the edge and jumped off, falling through the air before she landed on the side of an adjacent building and stuck to it tightly. She started jumping from building to building before finally landing on the ground. She dashed towards the street, "Tenten, do you still have a visual?"

_"A little! They're going really fast! But they're heading to the highway! They'll-"_

Blake turned the corner and had to stop immediately before she ran straight into Tenten. The two girls avoided collision and Tenten looked down at her Scroll before just addressing the black-clad girl directly, "They'll be heading East towards the commercial district. I think he's going to the club now."

Blake nodded, "All right. I'll contact the others and tell them we'll be rendezvousing there soon enough. You contact Naruto and tell him they're on the way."

"Got it." Tenten agreed as she stepped away and started typing on her screen. Blake went back to her Scroll and went through the contacts of their group.

They were coming to the end of this matter very soon.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**Coming your way**

**Be careful**

**-Tenten**

"Tenten says he's heading our way. Time to go."

"Awww~." Ruby sadly moaned as she put down her unfinished milkshake, "Can we wait just a little bit longer?"

"No." Weiss answered immediately as she put her tea down and stood out of her chair, "We need to move. If you didn't finish your drink then that's your own fault."

Ruby pouted childishly before getting out of her seat and following the others, "You're the one that said we should wait in a café. Jerk."

Naruto, Jaune, Weiss, and Ruby made their way out of the café and started heading down the street towards the Hanau Cabin. There they would keep an eye on Wilsk up-close while the others finished their spying and Intel gathering.

Jaune could feel his heart beat through his ears and his breathing starting to quicken. He tried to compose himself but was failing before Naruto nudged him with his elbow, "You all right Jane? You look a little spooked."

Jaune gave a nervous chuckle/cough before trying to calm himself down for the task at hand, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little worried...and panicked...and dreading the idea of walking into a bar with guys like that. Without any weapons."

"We went over this before we left Jaune. We can't bring any weapons into the club like that because it'll draw attention to us." Ruby explained one more time, "If we don't draw any attention, we'll all be fine."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah. It's just...I'm feeling super self-conscious of everything I'm doing right now."

The black-bandana wearing boy reassured his friend, "You wanna borrow _Cutty_ or _Stabby_? I can spare them for a bit."

"Ahhh, thanks Naruto. You have no idea how easy it is knowing you actually have a weapon when we're in there."

Naruto patted his back, "No worries bud. Any of them get any ideas, I got this."

"You better not faint in there. And you better not start anything." Weiss warned the two boys with a furrowed glare at their respective attitudes to the situation at hand. She informed them, "In case you both forgot, we're walking into a den of crooks, thugs, and thieves. We need to try and avoid bringing any attention to us. That means no starting fights, no fainting out of fear, and no walking up to people babbling like an imbecile and asking people about their weapons."

Ruby felt like an arrow went straight through her heart at being called out of the blue like that. That was just mean.

Missing the youngest girl's distraught behavior, the whiskered blond replied to the heiress, "Yeah, yeah, don't stir the pot. I get it." Naruto grumbled a little before he held the door open and let the other members of his party enter first before following into the fog of quiet mumbling, smoke, and the smell of alcohol.

The four teens ignored the looks spared towards them the moment they walked through the entrance and found a table to sit at. Soon enough the eyes started to wander away and they could feel their gazes finally disappear as they accepted the young teens as just another rowdy group trying to be tough.

Naruto tried to act normal and pulled the menu up to look through again, "Stay calm. He isn't here yet. Wait until he arrives and then listen around for anything you can notice. Anything people might say to him will help us."

The other three agreed to his advice but still seemed rather tense in the situation. Weiss drummed her fingers against her own crossed arms and exhaled anxiously, "This is far more unnerving than its usually made out to be in films."

Naruto flipped through the menu, "You get used to it. Sasuke and I did stuff like this all the time. You learn to ease into it and keep your ears and eyes peeled."

...

"Hey Naruto."

He looked up from the menu at the youngest member, "Hmm?"

"You never told us how you worked for that guy in the first place." Ruby asked, "I mean what made him interested in you and Sasuke anyway?"

Naruto actually lowered the menu and gave the topic some solid thought. He hesitated for a moment and inclined his head before deciding to admit to them how it all started. He relaxed into his seat, "You know those Atlesian Knight things Atlas supplies as part of a personal security measure or whatever?"

"The Atleasian Knights? Of course. My family purchases them in bulk to guard our most important shipments." Weiss said, "They work for the most part...except for a few special cases."

Jaune seemed confused, "Knights?"

"These big, awesome robots the Atlas Military made for a bunch of different reasons." Ruby explained to the clueless blond as her eyes started becoming stars at the prospect of explaining them, "They have fully-automated turrets in their arms and retractable titanium blades in their hands and they're coordinated and durable and so, so, so cool!"

"Yeah, those things." Naruto awkwardly chuckled, "So~, apparently Wilsk stole a huge shipment of them and was having them moved to his safe house or whatever. Unfortunately, me and Sasuke accidentally destroyed the shipment and left it in a big, burning pile of rubble without even knowing what was inside it. And those AK bots are really, really expensive. So Wilsk found us, caught us, threatened to do unspeakable things to us before killing us, or...work for him and pay him back. That's pretty much the whole story."

Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune just stared at him in disbelief at his explanation. The white-haired heiress' face twisted into several different, confused looks before she asked, "How?!"

"How what?"

"How in the world did you two morons destroy a shipment of AK robots on accident?!"

"That's..." Naruto just sighed and shook his head with exasperation, "That's a really long story."

"Really?"

"Really."

...

Jaune pushed back and got out of his chair, "I really need to go now."

"Jaune, we told you everything was gonna be fine."

"No I mean I really have to go." Jaune was doing an uncomfortable shuffle on his feet while desperately looking around, "Is there a bathroom here or something?"

Naruto pointed towards a back hall, "Over there and take a right. End of the hall."

"Thanks!" Jaune said as he dashed towards the hall to make it just in time.

Ruby sat back in her chair and tapped her feet on the ground, "He must be really nervous."

"Or maybe he really needed to go. I told him to go before we left but he said he was fine."

"Perhaps some people just are not made to deal with this kind of pressure."

"Nah. Jaune'll be all right. He's got this."

They heard some doors swing and loud footsteps follow as men entered through a back door inside the club. Several men in suits walked in followed by the big man himself as he fixed his collar and tie on his shiny suit. He looked around for a moment, causing the three teens to duck their heads behind their menus to avoid his gaze before he continued walking towards the booths.

Ruby whispered, "He's really tall. And big."

Naruto nudged her knee, "Don't stare."

"What's wrong with his suit?"

"Look." They all lowered their menus and saw Wilsk walk over to a booth while its occupants pulled themselves out of it. They recognized a few of his goons as criminals posted on the Police Most Wanted list. Weiss furrowed her eyes, "Your guess was right. Looks like this is where he sets up contracts in Vale."

They watched Wilsk start a quick conversation and shake their hand before he started walking away. Ruby looked worried, "Wait, where's he going?"

"To the bathroom." Naruto answered.

Weiss inquired curiously, "Did you hear that?

"No, but he's going in the same direction."

"Geez, what's with these people going to the bathroom. It's like they have no sense of urgency. Wilsk goes when he arrives, Jaune had to go after-"

And just like that, it hit them like a hammer.

...

Ruby's eyes shrunk, "Uh oh."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Jaune was washing his hands after taking a leak and let out a long, tired sigh at his situation. He leaned against the sink and tried to calm himself down but could hear his heartbeat pound louder and louder in his ears until it was almost deafening. His breath was becoming haggard and he looked at the mirror to see his forehead was getting partially sweaty.

He shook his head rapidly and groaned, "Okay, c'mon Jaune, you can do this. Stop being nervous. Get ahold of yourself. You're just at a club...full of bad guys...looking for a really, really bad guy...without any weapons-okay this isn't working."

Jaune was worried as his whole body started feeling lighter and he almost felt like he could float off his feet from the butterflies in his stomach. But he jerked his head and growled to himself, "No! No, don't you dare chicken out." He glared at himself through the mirror, "You have to help. Your friends are counting on you to stand up. Even if you can't do much, do something. Naruto's been your friend since the first day here. Everyone else is helping them stop this jerk. Don't you dare run."

Jaune said to his reflection with a stern gaze but couldn't feel the spark to ignite his passion. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. He was afraid and felt like he was going to pass out or run, but he knew he needed to be here to help his friends however he could. The armored boy felt the conflict run around in his head and started drying his hands with the towels supplied by the club.

Well, if anything this place was pretty classy if they offered nice towels like this just to dry your hands.

***Creak***

Jaune looked up as the door swung open and saw Velton Wilsk walk in silently with his guards standing outside the door. Jaune froze as he stared at the man, the only thing different about him from the other pictures being the 6 o'clock shadow and the grey suit with a strange shine to it. The teen stood there in shock and silence as Wilsk let the door close behind him and stared at the only other occupant of the room. The older businessman gave him a suspicious look before walking past and into a stall.

Jaune found himself frozen. Like...totally frozen. Like that time Weiss iced his feet and legs to the floor on the day of their initiation test. He couldn't move. Fear had filled every last part of his body. And despite every fiber of his being telling him to move, he couldn't find the will to act on that instinct.

***Flush***

Wilsk walked out of the stall and over to the sink to wash his hands. He looked over to see the silent newcomer still standing in the same place when he walked in. He lightly noted, "When most people finish, they don't linger around to enjoy the scenery. Something about the ambiance and odor doesn't really appeal to sticking around."

Jaune knew the man was talking to him, and suddenly he felt his motor functions come back to him and his throat suddenly not so dry. He looked down at the towel in his hands and ran his fingers through it before something popped into his head, "I'm...the...new attendant."

Wilsk spared him a look before looking back down, "This club doesn't have bathroom attendants."

Jaune turned around to face him, "It's a new policy."

Wilsk looked him over, "You're dressed rather strangely for an attendant."

Jaune gave a sheepish smile, "I-I'm new. B-brand new."

"Hmm." Wilsk turned the faucet and continued talking with the younger man, "I don't think it would be a smart move to keep that policy. I mean no offense to you, young man, but the people that visit this place don't appear to be the type that appreciate knowing someone is waiting for them in the bathroom. It might be beneficial to look elsewhere for a job."

Jaune gave a nervous, anxious chuckle before shrugging his shoulders, "Well, you never really know until you try, right?"

"Most men here are not comfortable with the concept of things changing." Wilsk retorted with a serious tone, "For some people, things changing is not an acceptable idea. It means there's something out of control they can do nothing about. They stay in charge. They keep analog. We are creatures of habit after all."

Jaune was quiet for a moment as he collected everything the large man had just told him. He struggled for a moment before refuting, "Well...I think those guys are screwed." Wilsk raised an eyebrow at his terminology and Jaune tired to reinforce his statement, "Sorry, but that just sounds kinda stupid. It might suck not feeling in control sometimes but it happens. So instead of trying really, really hard to keep stuff the same, I think they should get ready for what's gonna happen to them."

Wilsk's interest was peaked, "And what's going to happen to us, exactly?"

Jaune hesitated for a moment before shrugging, "Change."

...

Wilsk held his hand out and Jaune realized the man still had wet hands. He passed him the towel and the large man dried himself off. He handed it back to the boy and searched through his pockets for something. He pulled out his wallet and took good bit of lien, but nothing substantial for a wealthy man like him. He held it out for the boy, "Not quite sure we agree on that, but I will admit this has been the most intriguing conversation I've had in a bathroom before."

Jaune froze for a moment and looked down at the big tip he was receiving. He felt his stomach turn at the idea of accepting this guy's money if the others were right about him, but he didn't want to raise any more suspicion about himself. He reluctantly reached out and took the money as the taller man walked by, "Enjoy your day."

***Creak***

The door pulled open and the criminal walked out without another word. Jaune stayed in place, tightly gripping the money in his hand before hanging his head in shame. Their target was right here. Right in front of him. And he didn't do anything. Even if he didn't have a weapon, he should have tried to do something. Everyone else would have. But him...he just...

The blond student tossed the towel aside and walked outside, making sure no one else was coming or guarding the door. He walked out and down the hall-

"Jaune!"

He doubled over as a red blur slammed into his stomach, followed by Naruto sprinting to his side and Weiss casually making her way over while looking around carefully. Ruby pulled back from him with a panicked expression, "We were so worried! Wilsk and his guys all came to the bathroom and we thought you were gonna get captured and hurt! But you're okay!"

Weiss looked at the scraggly blond, "Were you in there with him?"

Jaune gave a defeated nod, "Yeah."

"What happened?"

"I lied to him. Said I was an attendant." Jaune showed them the money with a guilt-ridden expression, "He gave me a tip. Guys, I'm sorry. I-I froze and I couldn't try and fight him and-"

"Jaune!" Naruto stopped his friend's worried confession with a surprised smile on his face, "You were in the bathroom alone with that psycho and he paid you! Do you know how awesome that is?! I'd kiss you if I didn't think of you as just a good friend!"

Ruby nodded excitedly, "Same! A-and we aren't gonna kiss either because I think thats really cool but I don't wanna kiss anyone."

Weiss crossed her arms and admitted, "I'm just not going to kiss you, but that was impressive...for a buffoon."

Jaune was reluctant but after seeing the relieved looks on his friends faces, a small smile came over his face and he nodded to show he was fine. He looked around, "Where did Wilsk go?"

"He headed back to his booth. We ducked in the closet waiting for them to pass because we wanted to make sure they didn't do anything to hurt you. And since you're fine..." Naruto motioned back down the hall, "C'mon."

The four teens snuck up to the corner of the hall and peaked back into the lobby to see Wilsk and his men standing outside a booth and motioning for the occupant to lead the way. They watched as the men made their way around the lobby and started heading down the hall on the opposite end of the room. They followed after them through the employee door into the back and avoided drawing attention from the workers and staff.

Naruto led the team around a group of dancers hurrying to their changing room for the show and spotted the criminals heading out the back exit. They carefully peeked outside and spotted Wilsk and his associate walking over to a car in the parking lot. They quietly crept out and hid behind a dumpster with their target in sight, "There they are."

Wilsk gave a polite nod as he followed the other man to his car, "I'm glad you could take time out of your schedule to meet us here today. I'm very grateful."

"Yeah yeah, don't mention it." The other man quickly replied, a bit of unease lacing his voice before they arrived at the trunk of the car. He popped it open and pulled out a large manila envelope before handing it to the man, "Here. This is all the info on the package, and a cheque cut by the partners for its transport."

Wilsk didn't say anything as he accepted the envelope and started looking through its contents.

***Click***

The students looked down to see Weiss had pulled out her Scroll and was taking pictures of the scene. Naruto asked, "What are you doing?"

"Taking pictures. Evidence." Weiss answered while still observing the scene, "This is the perfect evidence we need to show he's has shady dealings. I'm not just going to sit here watching them do it when I can have photographic proof!"

"That's...a really good idea." Ruby fumbled for her Scroll, "You guys do it too."

Naruto and Jaune pulled out their devices and all four teens started taking pictures of the scene.

Wilsk closed the envelope and nodded, "Everything seems in order. We can have your package moved into Mistral's capital by the end of the month." He reached out and shook his hand, "Thank you for trusting me with your business."

The other man returned the shake, "Thank you for the discretion. And your trust."

The older man was led back to his own limo and place the file inside for safe keeping. They finished and Wilsk motioned for them to return back through the exit. Naruto saw them coming and opened the door, "Oh crap. We gotta go back."

Ruby and Jaune agreed and ran through the doorway as Weiss stayed crouched behind the corner and continued taking pictures. Naruto entered and held the door open as he loudly whispered to the stubborn heiress, "Weiss! Hurry up!"

"Almost...done..." Weiss took the last few pictures of the men and pocketed her Scroll, "Go!" Naruto ran back down the hall and Weiss quickly followed behind.

They rounded a corner and saw Ruby and Jaune waiting for them anxiously. Naruto ran across the intersection of halls and Weiss nearly crossed it but a huge amount of dancers in scantily-clad red dresses started shuffling in front of her, cutting off her escape route. Weiss tried to find a way through but couldn't, "Weiss!"

"I'm fine!" The white-haired girl said uncertainly, "J-Just go ahead!"

"But-"

"Go you dunces!"

"C'mon Ruby, she'll be okay!"

"B-but-"

"Hang on Snow Angel!"

Weiss shook her head and looked back as she heard footsteps follow not far behind. She clicked her teeth before seeing a door beside her on the wall and deciding that was the best place to duck into. She opened it up and quickly closed it behind her before leaning against it to listen to the other side. She listened as the footsteps grew louder and closer to her before finally passing as the hallway became silent. She waited a few moment before leaning back against the door and letting out a long sigh of relief.

She relaxed and opened her eyes to see she was standing in a decently-sized room with carpet and a desk with mirrors. There were dresses and clothes and make-up and shoes covering the whole room. It kind of reminded Weiss of her room back at her old home, except her room was far more organized while this place was a sty. She walked over to the desk and looked at the pictures that surrounded the edges of the mirror. All of a beautiful woman with bright blonde hair.

Oh...this was the dressing room of the mediocre performer from last week. Um...what was her name?

"Then you can tell them to kiss my ass! I don't care what they think!" A crude woman yelled down the hall as the dressing room door opened up and Blanchi came walking in wearing a shirt revealing her midriff and short shorts with an angry scowl. She rubbed her stomach before she stopped in place and glared at the girl standing by her chair, "Who the hell are you?!"

"O-oh!" Weiss panicked by rigidly standing back up like a statue and looking around frantically, "I-I was just-um-"

"This is my room! My private space!" Blanchi stated petulantly before eying the shorter girl with her lip twisting with distaste, "Oh, I get it. Are you supposed to be my replacement or something? They threatened that if I didn't clean up my act that they'd replace me but I didn't think they'd bring in a little hussy like you to fill my spot!"

"Huss-" Weiss took a calming breath before she lost her cool to the insult and tried to diffuse the situation, "Look, I am not your replacement. No one invited me. No one told me to come here. I-"

"Then you're just some weirdo that broke in here." Blanchi was making the situation worse as she started walking up to the younger woman to intimidate her, "I guess I should just call security now and have them kick you out."

"No! Please, that would be very bad."

"Well it seems like the best situation right now."

"Listen!" Weiss finally exclaimed as she could feel the tension rising from the woman, "I have a very good reason for being here." Blanchi crossed her arms and waited for an answer.

What to do?! What to do?! What would Ruby do in a situation like this?! Probably babble and cause a scene! What about Blake?! Trick her and run away! What would Yang do?!

...

***THWACK***

Weiss punched the performer across the face and Blanchi went out like a light. Weiss stood there silently and looked down at the unconscious woman at her feet.

...

"Oh my god! What did I just do?!" Weiss yelled in a panic as she freaked out at her solution to the problem. Why did she channel Yang of all people?! Blake would have been far more beneficial!

***Knock*Knock***"Blanchi, you in there girl? Show's about to start, get out here!"

Weiss heard a male voice say from the other side of the door and looked down at the unconscious woman sprawled out on the ground. She panicked and started looking around the room for somewhere to hide her until she woke up. She spotted a changing screen off to the side and grabbed the woman's feet before dragging her aside and out of sight. Once that was done, she looked up at an air vent she could possibly-

The door clicked and swung open as a thin man with purple hair in a short mohawk walked in. He grumbled, "I swear, if you keep acting out like this, I'm gonna-" He froze when he saw the unfamiliar girl standing in the middle of the room. He looked around and didn't spot the performer he was expecting. He eyed the girl in front of him before asking, "Who are you?"

Weiss pointed at herself, "Me? I'm...Winter."

"Okay, Winter, where's Blanchi? I heard she just got in."

"Oh...um...she..." The ivory-haired girl was drawing a blank, "Had to step out. Something urgent."

The man clicked his tongue, "That damn girl. Gonna give me an aneurysm." He sighed before looking back at the shorter girl and raising an eyebrow, "And she sent you?"

"Y-yes. Just to drop off the message." Weiss fixed her head and moved towards the door, "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Hold it." The man stepped in front of the door and Weiss took a step back for safety as he glared at her. He took a moment, sizing her up, from head to toe. The whole room was silent before he gave an impressed hum and nod, "Well, Blachi sure has some good taste. You'll be perfect."

"What?"

"We need a replacement for her as the singer tonight. I guess she sent you down to fill the spot."

...

"What."

The man tried to reassure her, "It's a good gig. Free drinks. Free food. Plus you get a pretty cheque at the end of it."

Weiss yelled back, "Money is not the issue here!"

"Can you stand in place?"

Weiss reeled back, "What kind of question is that?"

"Can you perform in front of a crowd?"

"Well, yes actually."

"Can you sing? You don't have to be fantastic. You just have to be somewhere around Blanchi's level."

"Pfft." Weiss seemed to forget the situation she was in as she scoffed and folded her arms haughtily, "I don't think that's much of a problem, considering the low bar she sets."

"Oooooooh, you're sharp." He said with a flick of his hand, "They're gonna love you."

"Yes well-wait no! I still-"

"Hmmm."

"Eek!" Weiss flinched back as the strange man stepped up to her and started examining her closely. She felt extremely tense as the strange man started to circle her, "W-what are you doing?"

"Examining the goods. Hmm..." Weiss reflexively covered her chest as the man stood back up and rubbed her chin in thought, "Well you're young and pretty, which is always a good thing for this crowd. But you're kinda short and a bit flat."

Her arms tightened more around her chest as a scowl and tick mark grew on her face, "Excuse me?! How dare you!" She already knew that despite her beauty she was...lacking...in certain other areas. But she didn't need that pointed out by this strange man in the back of a club in some unconscious woman's dressing room.

He waved it off, "Oh don't worry honey, you're pretty hot anyway. That skin is flawless and that little scar around your eye really gives you character." He came up beside her, "Plus you really show off those fine legs and booty of yours!" He eagerly complimented as he gave her a quick slap on the bottom.

"Eep!" Weiss let out an unceremonious yelp at the light spanking before she stumbled forward and covered her chest and butt with her hands. She glared at the man accusingly, "That's sexual harassment!"

"Girly, no offense, but you are not my type." He looked her over before humming, "We're gonna need to get you an outfit change." He looked over at the chair and saw the stretchy uniform his original singer was supposed to wear tonight. He checked it over before nodding, "Okay! Let's get you dressed!"

"W-wait don't come over-AHH-what are you-d-don't-pfft! T-that tickles! Stop-stop it-ahahha! That's-h-hey, what are you doing! Don't take that-hey that's my skirt! Ahhhh!" Weiss yelled out as her clothes were thrown to the side in a pile.

He stepped back proudly and dusted off his hands before nodding, "Oh you look perfect!"

"I LOOK LIKE A HOOKER!" Weiss exclaimed, a furious scowl on her face even as it turned dark red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. She was fighting every urge in her body to slap this man through a wall as her arms were preoccupied with covering her chest and struggling to pulled down the minuscule bit of fabric that covered her thighs. She was forced into a white and silver one piece outfit that only covered her body, without sleeves or legs to cover her limbs and a micro-skirt that barely went down below her hips. She looked back and saw the uncomfortable bumps pressing against her back were two tiny plastic feather wings that looked like an angel's pair.

The man scoffed and shook his head, "Nah. We call it the street performer look."

"I call it looking like a whore!" Weiss replied indignantly as she thanked god no one she knew could see her right now. If they caught a glimpse of her wearing this, even for a moment, she would not be against the idea of clawing out their eyes to preserve her dignity.

"Well I think you look beautiful." The thin man complimented before he looked at his watch, "Oh! Show time!"

"S-show time?!" Weiss stuttered as she shook her head, "No I'm not-"

"Have you ever heard Bad, Bad Angel before?"

"O-of course, it's a classic but-"

"No butt, except your perfect little one to show the audience." He turned her around and started pushing her through the door, "Girls, meet our new singer for the night!"

"N-no, I'm not-Ahhh!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake and her spy team hid their weapons behind some trash cans around the corner from the bar before making their way to the rendezvous. Tenten sped up a little to walk alongside the bow-wearing girl and quietly asked, "Do you think we got the right place?"

Blake was quiet, not cementing a lot of confidence for Tenten's question, before she gave a small shake of uncertainty, "I'm not sure. But if there's anywhere in the city I believe he would be able to do this, it's there."

Kiba added into the conversation, "Then that's it. We'll meet with everybody else, and go with our guts."

Blake gave the boy a skeptical look as Ren came up from behind, "Are we sure we want to support this plan on a gut feeling."

Kiba grunted, "Meh, best thing we've got going on right now. We'll meet with the others and-"

"Ren!"

Nora came flying in like a missile and Ren caught her shoulders just before she impacted, making them both skid back a few feet from the force before Nora landed on her feet, bouncing with excitement, "Hey Ren! How did you guys do today? We threaten people all day long with my hammer! It was so much fun~."

"Hey Nora." Ren said back as he dusted himself off and smiled in relief to see his friend was okay after her little venture through the seedy underbelly of Vale. And apparently really enjoyed the trip as well. He looked down at the shorter girl, "Our group looked through all the buildings in the city map but found nothing. I hope you all discovered some information."

"Tons!" Nora replied before pumping her fist, "We got so much that we can put Wilsk behind bars for the rest of his life!"

The others stared at the shorter girl in shock as they reeled back from what she just said. They looked between each other, "R-really?"

"No. She's kidding." Pyrrha said as she, Yang, and Sasuke walked over from the opposite side of the street, "We didn't get enough evidence like that. But we did get information from a number of different sources."

"And they all said the same thing after a little arm twisting." The blonde boxer explained with a grin after spending an entire day showing criminals who was in charge when she was around. She looked between all of her friends, "A bunch of criminals spotted big name guys going to the upper district with Wilsk to do business. We wanted to get more out of them but when we twisted and heard some cracking, we decided to stop there."

"We?" Pyrrha said accusingly while reprimanding the blond, "We had to pull you away before you twisted their arms out of their sockets."

Yang groaned, "You're overreacting."

Pyrrha rubbed the bridge of her nose as Sasuke stepped forward and looked around. He noted, "Where's Naruto's team? Weren't they supposed to meet us out here?"

The others looked around and realized that the last four members of the group were still absent. They waited a little longer and saw no sign of their friends coming anywhere in sight. Nora stated, "Maybe they got hung up?"

"With what? It's not exactly like they were preoccupied with anything before this."

"They might still be inside."

"Why would they risk staying in there when-"

The doors swung open and Ruby busted through straight into her sister's side. Before anyone would ask her what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around Yang's and pulled her inside, "We need help!"

The others followed behind the panicked girl's frantic scurrying as her sister stumbled to keep up with the pull on her arm. She tried to stop the panic, "Ruby! What's wrong? What happened?"

"It's Weiss!" Ruby said as she rushed into the club, bringing her and the rest of the gang inside to meet Jaune and Naruto standing by the door with concern on their faces. Ruby nearly shrieked out, "We lost her!"

Yang gaped at the confession, "You lost her?!"

"No no no! We didn't lose her." Naruto tried to save face to the rest of his friends before giving and uncertain shrug of his shoulders, "We were following Wilsk and we got separated and now...she's sorta gone." He looked up and saw everyone just staring at him in tandem. He sighed and hung his head in defeat, "We lost Weiss."

Jaune grabbed his shoulder, "What if that Wilsk guy got her?"

Yang growled and punched her fists together, making a loud clap even without the aid of her gauntlets, "Then we kick his ass here and now."

"Woah, hold on." Tenten tried to stop her before she did something rash, "We should think about this-"

"No, she's exactly right." Naruto agreed with a focused glare of his own, "If he actually grabbed her then that's it. We kick his ass and get her back."

"We can't start a fight in a club like this. If we draw a crowd then-"

"We can't just leave her!"

"Do you think we're prepared to fight against all these guys without our weapons?"

"Then grab our stuff and we can go!"

"It's not that simple!"

"You just say that because it's not your teammate!"

"Listen-"

The group argument was halted when the lights started to dim and a spotlight focused on the stage. Everyone in the room went quiet as they looked at the stage full of women, dressed in revealing red devil outfits with little tails and horns and covering something in the center of the stage. The band started playing a catchy tune and the dancers started bouncing their hips in time with the music.

("Ladies and gentlemen, we have a little change in performers tonight. We proudly introduce the Williams Orchestra, the Casey Trotters, and...Winter!")

The dancers all pulled away and revealed a beautiful, petite young woman with long white hair going down her back. She was scantily dressed in a sparkling silver outfit and was pushed in front of a microphone as the music started picking up.

...

The Beacon kids could do nothing as their jaws were hanging at the sight in front of them.

Weiss was left at the front of the stage as the dancers blocked her escape route with their constant kicking and moving. She looked back ahead at a very familiar sight, an audience blacked out by the intense light overhead leaving nothing but moving silhouettes. Weiss sighed away from the mic as she resigned herself to the situation at hand. She couldn't escape without causing a scene and she wasn't going to be let go until this song was over.

Well, it's just like she was taught to do in situation like this. When she was being watched like this...

It was time to blow them away.

She moved some hair out of her eyes before stepping up to the mic and taking hold of its stand as the girls danced behind her. She closed her eyes as the jazz music echoed...

"~I'm a country girl, I ain't seen a lot, but you came along and my heart went POP!~"

"~You took a little street cart through my heart, and an apple of love fell off my apple cart!~"

"~You looked at me, my heart began to pound, you weren't the sort of guy I thought would stick around, Hey but it don't have to be eternally; my bad, bad angel put the devil in me!~"

Weiss tapped her foot and subtly shook her hips as the dancers kicking their legs up high behind her, "~You put the devil in me~"

The regular customers and patrons of the club turned in their seats and gave their full attention to the new girl with the captivating voice and performance, whistling and clapping for the fresh breath of life she gave this place.

"~You lured me in with your cold grey eyes, you simple smile and your bewitching eyes; one and one and one is three, my bad bad angel...the devil and me!~"

"~You put the devil in me~"

"~You put the devil in me~"

"~You put the devil in me~"

The whole club started to cheer for the new girl as the Beacon kids stared in shock. Blake's mouth opened and closed several times before she shook her head, "I-I-I don't...I don't know...what."

Kiba was stunned and horrified, "What's going on?"

Ruby answered with a little cheer in her voice, "Weiss is okay."

"And she's proving that miracles do happen." Naruto stated as he already pulled out his Scroll and started taking a video.

"Are you-"

"Yes. For future generations to remember that this actually happened."

"~So now my dear, I ain't the girl you knew~"

"~Cause the angel's got heaven, but I get you~"

"~And the tree of life grows tall you see~"

"~My bad, bad angel, you put the devil in me!~"

"~Oh, you put the devil in me!~"

"~You put the devil in me!~"

"~You put the devil in me!~"

"~You put the devil in me!~"

"~My bad, bad angel, you put the devil in me~"

The band let out one last long, loud chord before they went silent. The dancers all fell into place perfectly and Weiss ducked her head as the lights dimmed into darkness. The criminals and degenerates in the bar stood up and clapped, whistled, and pulled threw roses for the young performer.

Weiss wanted to give a curtsy but remembered the slutty attire she was wearing and decided on just a quick bow. The crowd kept cheering for an encore but she quickly hurried off stage while her heels clapped against the wood.

"You were amazing!"

"What's your name again?"

"Can you give me lessons?"

"You should work here instead of Blanchi!"

"Thank you but I must get going!" Weiss offhandedly accepted the dancers' praises before hurrying past them and walking back into the hallway. She need to get to the changing room, grab her clothes, and get out before anything else happened. She would call the others from a remote location and rendezvous with them later.

Just as Weiss turned the corner and had the changing room in sight, a large man in a suit appeared in front of her. She stopped just short of running into him as he spoke in a monotone voice, "Mr. Velton Wilsk would like to extend to you a personal invitation."

Weiss' eyes widened before they furrowed into an intense, scrutinizing stare at the man in front of her. She denied the invitation, "No thanks."

"He insists."

"And I still say no." Weiss turned around, "I don't care who it is, I'm not interested in..."

Weiss stopped again when she was cut off by another large man standing behind her, but he was wearing a very different suit to the hired man. She looked up and saw the older man looking down at her with a flat gaze before a small smile came over his face, "Please...I insist. I would be honored if you would join me for a trip tonight."

Weiss stared nervously up at Wilsk and struggled not to gulp as her shoulders bucked up and she settled to glare at him. But she noticed more of his men fill into the cramp corridor and realized this wasn't an invitation...

He was just being polite about snatching her up.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby peeked her head in through the hinged door and saw no one in sight. She quickly snuck in with Naruto following up behind her, looking around carefully and making sure they were as inconspicuous as possible. They walked quickly down the hallway and Ruby whispered loud enough that only Naruto could hear her, "We find Weiss, we get out of here, and then we can all meet back at the café to talk. Don't mention what just happened, okay? Weiss probably won't be in the mood for any jokes right now."

Naruto sternly nodded, "Got it." He waited a moment before tapping her shoulder, "You still want a copy of the video, right?"

"Yes please." Ruby stopped in the hallway and looked around for any sign of her partner. After waiting a moment Ruby got impatient and started whispering, "Weiss? Weiss? Where is she?"

Naruto looked around before he heard a pair of heels clap against the ground behind him and looked back to see one of the dancers walking to the changing room. He caught up with her, "Hey, excuse me, we're friends of that girl that was singing here earlier. She told us to meet her back here but we can't find her. Do you know where she went?"

"Winter?" The dancer gave an unsure shrug, "Don't know. We tried talking to her but she was just in a hurry to go. She was heading to Blanchi's dressing room and probably left after she changed."

"Thanks." Naruto nodded and he and Ruby started making their way down the hall towards the changing room. Naruto walked up to the door and knocked, "Weiss, you in there? C'mon, we gotta meet up with the others so we can-"

The door swung open and Naruto was bombarded with Weiss' jacket, undershirt, skirt, Scroll, and boots. Blanchi came up to the doorway with a bruised cheek and yelled with fury in her voice, "Go take that whore's clothes and burn them in an alley! I swear if I see that bitch's face one more time I'm gonna poke out her eyes!"

***SLAM***

...

Naruto looked down at the items he was carrying then looked aside to see the worry on Ruby's face. He looked back down at Weiss' clothes before telling the girl, "Go grab Kiba. Bring him here."

Ruby gave a quick nod and dashed through the door in a trail of petals before quickly returning with Kiba following after. The brown-haired boy came up to his partner, looking between him and the diminutive redhead before asking, "What's wrong?"

"Weiss is gone again. For real this time." Naruto held her clothes up to him, "Think you can track her?"

Kiba nodded and closed his eyes before his hair started to bristle and the corners of his mouth stretched out to reveal his sharp canines. He took a quick sniff and reeled back when the powerful scent of her pungent perfume filled his senses. He needed a moment before humming, "She definitely came through here, but she didn't come back to the room. There's a few others scents and..." Kiba's eyes shot open before they narrowed again, "Wilsk took her."

"What?!"

Kiba ignored Ruby's cry and kept following his nose, pushing past Naruto and heading to the back door and the parking lot outside. The bandana-wearing blond and hooded girl followed him outside as Kiba kept sniffing the air and trying to find a trail. A ton of odors from around the street were meshing together and making it difficult for him to concentrate. Luckily, like he noticed during the initiation test, Weiss seemed to coat her whole body in this terrible stuff. He nodded to his friends, "I can follow them." He sniffed the air once more before realization struck and he smirked, "And I bet I know where they're going."

Ruby looked up at Naruto for confirmation, already deciding what she wanted to do but needed support to make it happen, "What are we doing?"

"The obvious..." Naruto stated, "We're going to war."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Hopefully, I can set the next chapter out on the right time. Hope you guys enjoy.**_

_**The song is from Doctor Who Series 3 Episode 4 "Daleks in Manhattan." It is just such a jazzy, foot-tapping good song. And for some reason my mind just felt like it needed to make Weiss, the sourpuss, sing it while dressing like a street-walker. **_

_**The song, it's lyrics, and all other rights stay with its original composers and copyrights.**_

_**Next chapter...the explosive finale.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed!**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	19. Storm the Castle

Hunting or Bust

Dust 14: Storm the Castle

Hope you enjoy Part 1! Didn't think I'd make this in parts. Guess that shows what happens when you try to solve everything in one chapter.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Right!"

They banked down the corner of the street and kept sprinting while following Kiba's directions.

"Left! Then straight!"

They followed the tattooed boy's directions and turned down another corner before heading straight for another block. Kiba kept his Semblance active as he ran with enhanced speed and let his increased senses lead him to their kidnapped friend. He finally started to slow down as they came around a corner to one building in the upper district of the city and the whole group slowed down. Kiba deactivated Feral as his hair started slouching down and he took a deep breath. He looked at the building and gave a small nod, "This is it. This is where the trail ends."

The other teens came to a stop and looked up at the massive tower that raised above them. It stretched high above the ground, so high they had to incline their heads back to catch a glimpse of the top. This being the upper district, everything in sight was filled with large skyscrapers and buildings that drew the eye around them. This tower wasn't the largest ever but it was undoubtedly the largest building around here. While most of the complexes and buildings just reached a dozen stories, this one went up at least twice their size if not more. The first few floors were solid concrete and walls before turning into rows of stone and windows instead. And at the top was a larger section of glass and concrete before leading to the roof, with squared off spacing and lights coming out from it. No doubt the top office or penthouse.

Naruto stared up at the building intently. He felt someone nudge his side and looked down as Ruby was also looking up at the massive structure. She hefted the black duffle bag around her shoulder and absentmindedly noted, "What was it you told me and Jaune the first day at school?" She looked at him and motioned to the tower, "Best stuff happens in the big buildings, right?"

Naruto gave a small smile and nodded before looking up again, "Yeah, who'd of thunk, huh?"

"Wait." Pyrrha stared at the large tower and felt a sense of déjà vu come over her. She gave a small shake of her head while continuing to stare at the upper floors, "I've seen this building before. In the newspapers. Isn't this-"

"Vale's Peril Relief Effort building." Blake answered as she stepped forward and kept looking forward like the rest of them, "A program started 20 years ago to provide support and patronage to people orphaned, hurt, and thrown out of their homes by Grimm attacks beyond the borders of the four kingdoms."

Kiba continued over what they had discovered from their research, "People that were rendered homeless and became refugees from attacks like that were forced into border villages, creating a lot of tension and overpopulation very quickly. It was dangerous to keep the pattern like that so they made this program to provide lodging, food, and job opportunities for the people suffering."

"The program was so successful during its initial run that it was picked up as an international relief effort by all four kingdoms. They backed up the idea and were met with great success." Tenten spoke, "They started setting up main offices in each kingdom that supplied the field buildings with all the materials they need."

"And it was all started by Velton Wilsk." Ren stepped forward, joining the rest of his team as he finished what they had discovered, "He founded the program, and he leased the space in each of the kingdoms for the main buildings to be structured. The buildings were constructed by the governments of each kingdom and he overlooks all the activities it accomplishes."

Naruto shook his head for a moment and sighed before looking up again, "A program that lets him run supplies from all four kingdoms without any suspicion from the government. One they unknowingly help support...this is how he did it. This is how he maintained his empire."

The eleven Beacon students remained silent and continued staring at the tower they were preparing to advance on.

It took a moment, but sudden realization and horror lit Jaune's face up like a bulb. He muttered, "Um...so...are we...about to attack a charity?"

...

...

Oh god.

All the students suddenly realized what that sounded like and looked between each other in shock. They then looked back at the tower before they appeared to be disgusted by the idea. Yang grumbled, "It's probably better we don't think of it like that. Think of it like...like...anything but that."

"Agreed."

"Yep."

"I'm cool with that."

"Right, okay, back to business."

Nora shuffled forward and looked at the signs at the front of the building and on the doors. She pointed, "It's closed. Says they close at 7 and don't open back up until morning."

Yang scoffed, "Well for a building that's closed it still has a ton of cars sitting out front."

"And one of them is his car." Ruby said sternly while looking at the parking lot and spotting Wilsk's limo. The same one that had taken her partner here in the first place. She scrunched up her nose before throwing her fist up, "Let's get Weiss back!"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Yang nearly had to dive to catch Ruby around the stomach and pull her off her feet before she ran in there before them.

The hooded girl was kicking the air and waving her arms around frantically, "Gahhhhhh! Let me go Yang! I gotta get Weiss back!"

"Well you're gonna screw it up just charging and screaming like that!"

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will."

Ruby's energy drained after hearing a majority of the group agree with her sister's opinion. Geez it was like Weiss wasn't even gone. Yang felt her sister go lax in her arms and lowered her to her feet before looking around at the others, "Anyone got a plan? Because if we don't, we're gonna have to go with Ruby's 'Break the Front Door' idea."

Pyrrha shook her head, "That's probably not the best idea. This is a charity supported by the the Council of Vale. It no doubt has security at the front door. Breaking in like that would alert the police."

"How fast could the police get here?"

"Maybe ten or fifteen minutes from the station, but patrol cars could get here quicker. This is the upper district." Sasuke informed them, "We should put a pin in that idea until we find something else we can do to get in there."

"Stay here." Naruto said before he went into a quick run and headed towards the building and around it. He came around the back and found a window-washing unit and platform connected to the roof of the tall building. He came back around in sight of his friends and waved them to over. They hurried out of the sight of the tower and came to the back to see what he discovered, "I think we found one way to avoid breaking thru the front door."

Ruby stepped up to it and looked it over, "Does it work?"

Naruto wasted no time and hopped right in before stepping over to the control box. He examined it before looking down at the control panel and seeing it had a padlock, "It's locked." Lucky for him the rocket lockers came by super quick. He smiled before pulling out a short sword and aiming the hilt down, firing an arrow and breaking the lock off. He opened it with a smirk, "And now it's not."

"Glad to see you're successfully moving past your criminal phase."

Ruby hopped in and moved over to the panel to look for the on button, "Okay. Hang on Weiss, we're coming!"

"Hold on."

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Ruby moaned when she heard Blake halt their advancement again. She looked back at everyone else with an annoyed look, "We can't keep stopping guys! Weiss is probably up there with those guys and I don't think she'd want us standing by just talking!"

"She wouldn't." Blake answered as she jumped on the mechanical pulley system and stepped over with them, "But I'm coming with you. There might be a fight when we're up there and we need to make sure Weiss' stuff is ready before it starts. You get that to her..." She looked over at Naruto, "And we can hold him off."

Naruto hesitated for a moment before he nodded, "Alright, then we should-"

The metal of the platform creaked again as Kiba and Yang jumped on as well. Yang grinned, "She's my teammate too."

"And I told you I wasn't gonna let you fight this alone."

Naruto held up his hand, "Okay, if you want then you guys too. But now we-"

"Wait! You aren't just gonna leave us down here, right?" Nora seemed disappointed and disgruntled at the idea, "We were promised fighting and beat downs!"

Pyrrha nodded, "She's right. We promised we would face this together. And a place as large as this means he has security and personnel ready to defend it at a moment's notice. Our help would be beneficial."

"Yes it would! But let me finish guys!" Naruto said indignantly, trying to voice his worry to everyone before they had any more ideas. He pointed down on the platform they were on, "This thing seems sturdy but I'm not sure how much it can take. And that's something we need to make sure about if we're going..." Naruto pointed up, "All the way up there."

This close up, Jaune finally realized the massive size and sheer scale of the building they were going to infiltrate. Slowly going up...in a platform...hundreds of feet.

His knees went shaky and Ren had to hold him up before he fell over. He thanked his friend for the assistance.

Naruto looked back around at them, "So unless we all want to hop on and see if it can hold, some of us might have to hang back." He stepped up to the railing and looked around, "Who wants to stay down here?"

The group looked around at each other for any volunteers.

...

"Well crap."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss was masking her uncertainty and worry very well considering she was in an elevator with three armed guards and Velton Wilsk without her weapon. Hell, she didn't even have her proper fighting clothes on. Still dressed like a tramp off the street after getting picked up from that stupid bar. And possibly picked up to engage in...illicit activities.

At least one of these men had the decency to give her his coat when she asked.

The elevator rang and came to a stop when they reached their destination. It slid open and Wilsk and his men stepped out into the open space as Weiss was reluctant before stepping out the lift. Her heels clicked against the marble floor and Weiss actually stopped in surprise to look at her surroundings.

The room was well furnished, with black leather seats around several shelves and bookcases filled with so many books that Blake would probably faint at the sight of them. On another side of the room was a large counter and bar, filled with nearly a hundred of the finest wines, beers, and beverages in the world with a hallway right beside it. Some of the finest pieces of art and tapestry lined the walls, and directly across from the elevator was a desk just in front of the opposite wall.

Wilsk walked over to the desk and laid the envelope across the top before reaching for his collar and partially loosening the tie around his neck. He fixed his suit a little before turning to his guards, "You can leave us. It's fine."

The hired guards nodded before moving back to the elevator and leaving Weiss standing in the penthouse alone with the older man. She looked back as the elevator doors closed and then back to the large man standing by the desk. The much larger man looked over at her before stepping behind the counter and pulling out two champagne glasses. He pulled out a bottle and started pouring into one, "Would you like a drink?"

Weiss flinched as she realized she was being addressed and felt a massive sense of anxiousness overcome her. She felt a cold chill run in her blood as she needed to say something and say it fast! Okay...she was Winter, part-time singer at bars and friend of uncouth women like that horrid Blanchi woman. How do girls like that act and talk?

Oh wait, she had people like that on her team!

The white-haired girl turned on her heels, letting her long, unrestrained white-haired flick around her arm before awkwardly pushing it behind her again. She gave a weird smile and let her shoulder hang, "Hey, it's cool! No problem! Y'know, I was actually startin' to feel pretty thirsty so thanks, teehee!"

Wilsk seemed caught off guard and confused by her sudden change in demeanor. He paused for a moment, "Well, all right then." He poured into the other glass before storing the bottle behind the counter. He took both glasses and walked around to the much shorter lady, handing her the glass before walking over to his desk and sitting against it, "I enjoyed your song at the club. It was a splendid performance."

"Oh." Weiss looked up from her drink and tried to relax into her stance like a normal girl. She awkwardly fumbled and shifted in her stance to get it right, "Oh, that song? Pfft, pa-lease!" She waved it off with a weird laugh, "I-I sing stuff like that all the time! In the shower! At the bar! In the...b-barn."

Wilsk once again seemed bewildered by her choice of words and disjointed actions. He tried to continue the conversation, "Yes, well, you certainly have a lot of experience-"

"No no no no!" Weiss immediately cut him off before he could continued with his thought. She shook her head and took a step back with hesitation, "N-now listen here, f-fella, I don't know what some of those other girls there were like, but I don't swing that way!" Her eyes widened again at what those words might mean out of context, "I mean I do swing that way, not the other way, but I don't do stuff like that! I-I mean I don't do that sort of thing and-"

"Singing in front of a crowd." Wilsk finished, hiding his surprise at how quickly the girl tried to defend herself from the hanging allegation.

"Oh."

...

"Yes...it was a wonderful showing and...I'm sorry." He shook his head before looking at the white-haired girl, "I must ask why you're acting so strange?"

Weiss furrowed her eyes for a moment before opening them up again and trying to act air-headed, "Well because you went and brought me here so quickly, silly. And-"

"No I mean why are you talking like that and jerking around so uncomfortably?" Wilsk inquired curiously, "Ms. Schnee, I have the strangest sense that you're acting like this for a reason."

Weiss goofy façade quickly dissipated and a stern, scrutinizing stare took its place. She crossed her arms, making sure not to spill a drop of the expensive drink in her hand, and settled back with her hips like she usually did in her normal clothes. Her voice returned to normal but had a solid tone, "When did you figure it out?"

"Figure it out? Young lady, most of the men there only saw a pretty woman with an alluring voice, but I spotted you as a Schnee the moment the lights landed on you." A self-satisfying smile came across his face, "Although I know young Winter is still in Atlas, roaming around the estates back home. While I think the other young lady is a bit closer to home around here...am I correct, Weiss?"

She was silent for a moment, "How did you know?"

"I haven't visited your family's home for business in many years but I remember coming once when you and Winter were just little. You were both quite scared to meet a stranger like me. Hid behind your servant's legs for protection. It was quite a charming little sight for old men like us."

The scar-eyed girl furrowed her gaze before looking down at her glass and swirling its contents around. She questioned, "So if you realized it was me, why did you bring me here? I'm going to assume it isn't for pleasantries."

"Well, I had my interest piqued when I saw the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, singing and dancing at a little club in Vale's commercial district. I can't imagine someone of your prestige would be in need of any money from a place like that." He raised a greying eyebrow, "Perhaps this is some kind of rebellious attitude to your upbringing? I have met your father and I can see where a young lady such as yourself may challenge-"

"This isn't about rebelling against my father." Weiss quickly responded with a pointed tone before looking down for a moment, "If I wished to act as childishly and petulant as that then there would have been a number of different ways to do it." She looked back up at the older entrepreneur, "I only went to the Cabin because I was interested...in you."

Wilsk titled his head in interest before letting out a small chuckle, "I suppose an aspiring business head such as yourself should learn the process and methodology of her future partners."

"I'm only interested in one sort of business you occupy yourself in." Weiss glared at the taller, older man, "I know what you are. A criminal. A thug. A warmonger and liar." Wilsk's smile didn't falter as the Schnee girl continued to press him, "I know about the things you stole. I know about the people you work with. I know about the people that work for you. And I have it on good authority what kind of person you are."

"And that would be?"

"A monster."

"..." Wilsk was silent for a moment before scratching the stubble on his chin, "I'm not quite sure where you are making such acquisitions. I will admit that the Hanau Cabin is not visited by the most savory of individuals, but my visit there does not immediately label me the same as them."

"You're right. That's not enough." Weiss replied, "The fact that you steal and participate in illegal meetings to sell and move that inventory is enough." Wilsk was about to respond, "Don't even try to deny it. I saw you talking with that man in the parking lot. He gave you that envelope and you said you could move it to Mistral. I have proof." She then remembered what she was wearing, "I mean...not on me right now...but I do have proof."

"Right...I did receive something in that parking lot." Wilsk reached back and picked up the file in question before holding it up, "He wanted to give me this." He then held it out, willing to let the young lady take a peek at what was inside.

Weiss hesitated for a moment, looking between the file and the man that offered it. She finally felt her curiosity get the better of her and slowly stepped forward to take the file from his hand. He didn't make any move to grab her when she did so she stepped over to the chairs and placed her glass on the table. Wilsk quietly drank his beverage as Weiss opened the envelope, pulled out the contents, and started silently roaming through them.

...

This...t-this wasn't right. T-these were-

"Artifacts?"

Weiss seemed shocked even as she said the words, looking through the research files and paragraphs about the findings. Accompanied with the pages of information about the discoveries in the sands of Vacuo were pictures of what the archeologists found. Most of them were of the men and women who found the ruins, standing by old pillars and gargantuan sized platforms and altars. But there were even some of drawings and carvings found on the wall. Most of them were of humans and Faunus being chased and attacked by Grimm, as was the usual in ancient times like that before the kingdoms.

There were some carvings of humans holding up bright lights and weapons, frightening off the beasts that threatened their existence. These must have been some of the first depictions of people using Dust to protect themselves. This was what started it all. Some of the first people to fight and challenge the forces that would annihilate them.

Weiss turned the page and found more cave paintings that were discovered in the dig, but these were describing the efforts of Faunus to defend themselves. Most of them were running from the threat, but several stick figures charged forward at the monsters of darkness, with shadowed blurring lines following behind them and horrific, jagged teeth like the monsters they were defending themselves against. And in the corner of the cave was a large black mass that seemed too far away from the light of the camera to get captured in the picture.

Weiss shook her head before looking up at the man, "What is this?"

Wilsk just gave a condescending smile, "On the excavation, the diggers found some very rare and valuable artifacts. Priceless, in both anthropological and monetary gain. The Vacuo council did not wish to have these findings broadcasted and known to the public so quickly, believing that if they did then it would be the target of marauders. So they sought out someone who could transport them without raising alarm. So they asked me to do it. Discretely."

Wilsk stood back up and walked over to the white-haired girl before taking the papers out of her rigid hands. He walked back to his desk and placed the vile in a special compartment with other, very large binders hidden from sight, "I'm trusted with the full faith of my customers, so if they ask for privacy, I have to plan for it. Going out of my way is just-"

"Shut up."

...

Wilsk looked back up, "Excuse me?"

"Don't talk like that." Weiss said with a miffed tone before glaring at the large man, "You can hide it and cover it up as much as you want but don't mock me with false ignorance like that." Weiss turned to him, disregarding the setting and their different sizes and told him in a flat tone, "Don't insult me by trying to disprove something I know is true. Something you know is true."

...

"..."

Wilsk was silent for a moment before he shut the drawer and picked up his glass again. He looked down in comprehension before noting, "I apprenticed under you grandfather when the SDC was hitting its stride." Weiss seemed startled by that bit of information before the man nodded again, "Your grandfather was a brilliant businessman. Training something of a partner to secure your father's business ventures when he succeeded the company. He taught me how to succeed. How to accept failure. How to expand. How to grow. And how to control what you own. And I will always be grateful for what he has taught me."

"But..."

Wilsk let out a small chuckle, appreciating that the girl was savvy enough to realize he wasn't just singing her family praises, "But I felt as though he was limited by the waning of his imagination in his advanced age. He didn't seem to realize that people of position like his-people with power like ours-could continue to grow if they altered the circumstances in their favor. Take control. But your grandfather scoffed at the idea. Said I was silly. But look at what I've achieved with that idea."

"Yes, congratulations." Weiss derided sarcastically, "You're a paranoid old man who's cemented himself as a boss and psychopath of the criminal world. Whoopee."

"But I do control the flow of the black market. And a mention of my name puts every man who knows better under my heel." Wilsk refuted, "I consider that a real achievement."

"You also steal from innocent people, the government, armies, and-lets not forget-the company that took you in when you were young!" Weiss heatedly reminded before narrowing her eyes angrily, "And I know you use people. You completely disregard their safety. Their lives. Their interests. You find something interesting, you choose to exploit it, and then you just keep playing with it in the palm of your hand."

Wilsk nodded, "I learnt from the best."

Weiss felt the jab his words were aiming for and demanded, "What does that mean?"

"You know what it means." Wilsk returned with a stern tone and leveled glare, "You know the kind of company you profit from. The kind your grandfather and father have built up. One that grows from prejudice and misery and labor. One that has left themselves target by hundreds of protests and death threats and even the scorn of a militarized organization of terrorists. Say what you will about me but at least I have the decency to keep my cruelty under wraps. The Schnee family...they thrive off it."

Weiss was silent as the man's words struck her like needles.

"And that cruelty has given me chances to explore some...rather interesting business partners." He said snidely before picking up his glass again and holding it up in a toast, "Let's hope for more opportunities soon."

Weiss was silent and didn't comply until she looked up and saw the man still holding out his glass, frozen and glaring at her while he waited for her to follow. She silently picked up her glass and held it up as well. Wilsk smiled and started drinking as Weiss just stared down at the sparkling drink. She quietly raised it up and took a sip from it, letting the sting and bubbling sensation cover her tongue as she looked up-

And caught sight of Blake soaring upwards past the glass before using a Shadow clone to propel herself upwards again while holding onto a wire. A second later, Naruto blurred past the glass carrying Ruby in his arm as they left sight. And finally, Yang and the rest of JNPR and NKTS slowly rose up into sight as they traveled by a window washing platform. They were all huddled together, trying not to push each other too much as Jaune's face was turning purple and Nora spotted her with a happy wave.

"*PEWWWWW*!"

Wilsk looked at the girl strangely after her little spit-take as she leaned against the couch for support. He questioned, "Did something happen?"

"N-no, it's nothing." Weiss said as she pounded on her chest with tiny tears forming in the sides of her eyes, "It just went down the wrong way."

Weiss finally righted herself and looked back up at the window over Wilsk's head, seeing her companions had disappeared from sight. She stood back up, putting the glass aside and inquiring, "So...what happens now?"

"Well...that's just it. I'm not quite sure what should happen next." Wilsk noted with a small smile, "I should fear that you would go to your father and tell him about this but...hehe...without proof, he would never believe you."

Weiss didn't respond to that before looking aside with a flat, but hurt look at the accusation, "You aren't wrong."

"Now I'm usually far more weary and careful about who I choose to talk with about these matters...but Ms. Schnee, you have provided me with the most entertainment I've had since coming back to the city. And I am grateful for that." Wilsk stood up and placed a hand in his suit pocket before nodding, "I feel like someday, you and I could work very well together...and that would need some trust. So tell me...how did you find out all this information? I doubt it was just on intuition alone. And if you tell me...I promise you can go home without any worry."

Weiss looked down at the ground for a moment, Wilsk's offer hanging in the air as he waited for a reply. Weiss stalled for a moment...lowered her hands to her side...before she finally leveled a look at the man and said-

"Am I supposed to be frightened by your intimidation?"

Wilsk's smile turned into a flat line as Weiss stood up straight and tall while staring him down, "I'm not afraid of you. How could I be? I face the Creatures of Grimm with intent to lay down my life if I must. I am under constant threat by those monsters in the White Fang that would love nothing more than to string me up, tear me apart piece-by-piece, before finally killing me. Hell, I deal with a speeding ball of red, gooey annoyance that makes me want to slam my head down on a table until something cracks. You? No, not when you're just a pitiful, sad old man that's slowly destroying himself. How could I be afraid of a man destined to die broken and alone." She proudly placed a hand on her chest and proclaimed, "I am Weiss Schnee, and I will not bend to the will of a man such as yourself. Not one so pathetic as you."

...

Wilsk's eyes slightly narrowed but the amount of contempt conveyed in his eyes was more than enough to show how much Weiss's words pierced his mask. He slowly stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of the Schnee girl. Their massive difference in height was never more clear as he had to look far down as she inclined her head back to stare up at him. His words fell from his mouth with distaste, "You know...it is quite noble that you would choose a profession like Huntress to make the world a better place. And you're right...it is dangerous. I wonder how much your father would mourn...if his precious daughter were to disappear in the middle of a training exercise. Caught by Grimm...devoured without hope..." His eyes narrowed at the girl, "It would be a tragedy for you to perish like that, for the sake of protecting something-"

***CRASH***

The skylight above them shattered into shards of glass as they instinctively covered their heads and stepped back. Wilsk took a moment after stepping back to look up at what happened, but was shocked when he saw an orange and blue blur turn in the air and strike him in the bridge of his nose with a kick.

"GAH!"

Wilsk stumbled into his desk as he dropped his drink, hearing the glass shatter on the floor as he propped himself up against his desk. After the initial shock he looked back up and gaped at the sight in front of him.

The floor was covered in shatter glass, and from the skylight dropped nearly a dozen shadows along the space between him and the elevator. All of them were young adults, dressed vastly different from one another and all brandishing weapons aimed at him the moment they landed. The only ones who didn't have weapons right now were himself and Weiss, who was standing behind the person at the front of this little pack of strangers.

Except he wasn't a stranger.

He was wearing the same black pants with orange seams and boots he usually wore. Instead of the long-sleeved blue shirt he usually traveled with, he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt underneath his orange vest with the black bandana over his head. He had a short blade in one hand and his normal sword's blade aimed at the larger man's face, his blue eyes focused and nearly slits while glaring at him.

Naruto finally spoke and shattered the silence with a smirk...

"Hey boss, long time no see."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**I had to cut this chapter into parts. This part...isn't even half. It was getting too big! Like way too big for this story just yet. Just wait a little longer and I'll have the other part out soon, I promise.**_

_**And hey, this way the cool part will make a good anniversary Chapter 15 (20 if you count the trailers and notice).**_

_**I'm sorry I won't be able to provide much in part of the birthday celebration I usually do for the 27th, but I've been swapped lately and can't make time up for it. Sorry guys.**_

_**Hope you enjoy his though.**_

_**ReadxReview **_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	20. This Will be the Day

Hunting or Bust

Dust 15: This Will be the Day

It's the 1 Year Anniversary!

*Poppers popped and streamers fall from the ceiling* Whoopee!

Thanks for the support everybody.

Part 2! Enjoy!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Hey boss, long time no see."

Wilsk gave a small grumble of displeasure as he rubbed his nose, making sure nothing was broken and no blood. He sat against his desk and continued rubbing the ache from his nose before his eyes panned around and looked at everyone that had broken in. He sighed, "Yes, some time actually. Didn't think I would be seeing you again."

Naruto sarcastically jabbed, "What? Did you miss us or something?"

"Nothing of the sort." His rebuttal was immediate as he stared at the teen, "I was just under the impression that you had been caught and were being detained somewhere far away. Or maybe you were captured by someone you tried to steal from and were being tortured. Or you were just dead."

Tenten felt a weird cold fill her stomach with the way he said that, "Well those are some disturbing thoughts to be having in your down time."

Wilsk lowered his hand from his face and looked to the white-haired girl standing behind Naruto, "I was wondering how you were making all these assumptions off data you shouldn't have been able to get, but now I know. And I must say I'm surprised of this little ensemble you gathered here today. An heiress, two of my former little lackeys, the strongest of the new generation and...the bathroom attendant?"

Jaune felt some looks land on him questioningly and he hung his shoulders, "It's a long story."

Weiss felt a confident smile come over her while looking around at the others, "I didn't think you would actually make it. And with perfect timing. I'm impressed."

Naruto spared her a look, "We found an effective way to track you."

"Well that's fortunate and everything but we have some concerns we need to fix. That deal we caught him having in the parking lot wasn't what we thought it was. It won't be able to help. We need to find another way...to..." Weiss' voice stop when she realized that Naruto's eyes were no longer focused on hers. As a matter of fact, no one was looking directly at her.

They were looking at her...the lower part...her body...her cloth-

"HEY!" Weiss yelled, getting everyone to stop staring at the outfit she was wearing and focus back on her.

Naruto blinked his eyes for clarity, "Sorry, what was that?"

"Why are you all looking at this stupid outfit?!" Weiss inquired pointedly while looking around and covering herself with the jacket, "You understand how dire the situation we are in is, correct?!"

"Sorry Weiss. It's just..." Pyrrha gave a nervous smile, "Your dress seems to draw in the eye."

Weiss' eye twitched and she looked back at the boys, seeing some of them turn their eyes at the last second to not get caught. She grumbled, "Does someone-anyone-have my clothes?"

"Oh, right here!" Ruby collapsed _Crescent Rose_ back into its stand-by form and grabbed the duffle bag around her shoulder. She leaned on the top of the couch and tilted it over, falling into a roll and bouncing to her feet right next to her partner. She started pulling her clothes out of the medium-sized bag, "Here Weiss, I picked up some stuff for you. Your clothes." She pulled out some crystals, "Some more Dust if you need it." And she even pulled out the girl's sword, which was bigger than the bag that contained it, "And _Myrtenaster_!"

The heiress snatched the bag out of her hands and looked through it in shock, "How did you get all my stuff together so easily? Wait! How did you get in my locker?!"

Ruby looked aside nervously, "I saw you type in your locker combination and memorized it. I thought it would come in handy if you ever needed your weapon and couldn't get it yourself. And I was right!"

"I-I...you..." Weiss seemed to be fuming and wanted to point out so many things wrong with Ruby's action, but sighed and held the bag tightly, "I'll reprimand you later. Right now, thank you." Weiss then looked around the room for an appropriate place to change from prying eyes.

Wilsk pointed by the bar, "Down the hall. Bathroom is the first door on the right."

"Thanks!" Weiss disappeared in a dash of white to change out of her horrible clothing.

After the white-haired girl vanished from sight, Blake looked over at their leader with a questioning gaze, "Why did you memorize her code?"

"I told you, in case I needed to grab her weapon! I know your combination too! And Yang's!" She motioned to their friends, "I know everybody's combinations!"

"Woah-what?!" Kiba expressed all of their surprise as he looked at the shorter girl, "How'd you memorize all of our combinations?!"

"Ahhh~, let's not talk about who followed you guys around with a pen and paper and watched you crunch the numbers." She pulled out her weapon and extended it into sniper mode, "Let's get back to locking this guy down."

"Good call."

The students all focused back on the criminal mastermind at the end of their barrels as he gave a small chuckle, "I must admit, I am quite surprised to be seeing you two here again. Naruto. Sasuke. Hehe, and you brought so many of your friends with you today." He clapped once before nodding, "I didn't think you two were capable of making friends but I was wrong. Here you are, along with your Teenage Thieving Ninja Brats, breaking into my building and threatening me with weapons. I don't know whether to be frightened or proud."

Sasuke tightened the grip on his sword and threatened, "Stop talking."

"But really, I was considering having to send out a few men to search the kingdom to find you boys. Bring you back or...otherwise, but here you are, come knocking down the glass and right back home." He feigned joy at seeing the two boys again before tilting his head, "I have to know, why the sudden visit? Did you leave something and come to pick it up?"

The others didn't appreciate the way he spoke so casually and diminished the severity of the situation like this, but Naruto knew he was just trying to mess with their heads. He scoffed and smirked, "We looked at the TV and saw your ugly mug on the screen, and I gagged so much that I wanted to come kick your ass. And as it turns out, all these guys had the same idea."

Wilsk gave a small nod before looking around at the others present, "You know, it was rather reckless of you all to barge in here like this. I may be forced to call the local authorities and have you apprehended. Imagine the shame you would bring to yourselves and your families...being caught like these two degenerates."

Blake shook her head, "Like you would ever call the police."

Wilsk gave a small shrug in return, "I suppose you are right." He shook his head, "But it's really such a shame. Twelve young souls...vanished from the world...without a trace or anyone knowing why? It is going to be such a sad story when it comes on the news."

"You're going down today."

"Yes, well we will see about that."

"Okay, that's it." Yang threw her arms down and cocked her gauntlets before stomping past Naruto and towards the smug prick that had been pissing her off, "Can we just knock this guy out first or something? We can search through this place for the stuff he stole afterwards but I'm gonna shut this guy up now."

Pyrrha tried to convince her otherwise while the others all had mixed looks at the idea, "Yang wait! We might need him to-"

***Bang***

Yang punched him square in the stomach, unleashing an explosive blast from the shells that impacted and a smoke cloud in return. And when the cloud spread, it revealed Wilsk standing...completely unharmed.

...

Yang blinked in surprise. The others did too. Everyone was surprised that the large man didn't fall after being hit.

Yang reeled her fist back and struck him in the gut again, causing another burst of fire to the same effect. She grit her teeth and started releasing a quick barrage of fists into his stomach and chest to try and topple the large man, but after she was finished she stepped back and saw she had done nothing to affect him. In fact, all he did was wipe his suit and fix the edges before a small smirk appeared on his face.

Yang looked back with jaw-hanging confusion, seeing the others with similar looks after what they had seen. She shook her head, "What...the hell...was that?"

"A good effort." Wilsk stated before he pulled back and smacked her across the head, sending her flying into the bar and shattering most of the drinks there before she fell behind the counter.

Ruby cried out, "Yang!"

"Shoot him!"

Everyone aimed their weapons at the rich man and started firing their rounds in rapid fire. Bullets and arrows flew across the room as Wilsk raised his arms in front of his head and blocked. The onslaught of bullets collided against his arms and body and after a few seconds the students stopped firing and just stared at the phenomenon in shock.

Wilsk lowered his arms, dislodging some of the rounds that collided against him while leaving the rounds along his body untouched. He gently grabbed the ends of his suit and pulled it down with a quick flick, bouncing the bullets and arrows off of him as they cluttered the ground. He dusted off his jacket to make sure it was perfect before smiling and nodding at the students efforts. He noticed one of Naruto's arrows had bounced on top of his desk and picked it up, "So what's the second part of this plan?"

...

Weiss came running out, still trying to secure her hair in its side-ponytail fashion after she had finished getting dressed. She looked around, "I heard a lot of firing! What happened?!"

The others just responded by wordlessly pointing at the man that fiddled with the arrow in his hand and a plethora of rounds surrounding his feet. Weiss nodded, "Well of course, his suit is woven from Dust. It's most likely bulletproof." They all just stared at the heiress accusingly as she reeled back, "What? My father wears suits just like it when he goes overseas for...business. Did...you all not realize it was made with Dust?"

...

The piercing looks were all she needed to know the answer.

Wilsk turned the arrow around in his hand, "Yes, I never go out of my way to tell my subordinates what I use to fight or defend myself. You never know when they might decided to come pay me a visit like this. I so do enjoy the looks of horror when they realize what they've gotten themselves into."

He pulled back and threw the small arrow at the center of the group, startling everyone at how quickly it came flying through the air.

They moved out of the way and watched as the tiny projectile bounced off the ground so forcefully that it shatter the marble it hit. It kept bouncing before making a trench in the stone and coming to a complete halt.

Everyone looked back over to Weiss to see she was just as shocked as they were. She looked at them and shook her head, "I have no idea."

Wilsk turned around and turned a pad on his desk around for easier access, releasing a mechanical click as it faced towards him. A red light started to shine on and off as a silent alarm went off on all floors and alerted the guards to their presence. He pressed his hand against the desk again as it read his fingerprints and made an approving click. A panel by his feet started to open up and raise a long sword handle and blade with a large revolver of Dust at the base of its hilt.

He pulled the massive cleaver out, grabbing it with two hands before warning the students, "I've been surviving attempts on my life for decades now, boys and girls. And all those times, I've learnt...never leave myself unprotected."

...

...

"WRAH!" Naruto was the first to charge forward as he fired arrows from both blades as a first strike. Wilsk had to block the arrows with his blade as Naruto came running towards him and spun through the air for extra speed. He released a barrage of rapid slashes and cuts that clashed in a flurry of sparks against the large sword. Naruto landed and dropped directly to his knees as he struck Wilsk's legs, but to no avail as each slash created a subtle ring and flash of silver from the suit. Wilsk barely even buckled as he brought his sword up and slammed it down on the space Naruto was crouched, but the whiskered blond rolled out of the way as the blade splintered the floor from its heavy weight.

Wilsk didn't seemed affected by his miss as he pulled a trigger and his whole sword glowed red for a moment. He gripped it tightly and with a loud yell he swung in the direction Naruto dodged, creating a massive explosion that rocketed Naruto backwards and across the room with enough power to crack the wall he slammed against.

Ruby furrowed her eyes before she aimed her scythe back and pulled the bolt on her weapon, firing and sending her flying at Wilsk. Kiba and Ren followed after her and jumped up to catch the man off guard while Ruby started unleashing a flurry of quick and precise strikes with her massive weapon. Wilsk blocked the first few strikes but was overwhelmed by the younger girl's speed as she managed to land a few hits, but to no avail as the Dust-woven suit continued to take the damage without fault.

He finally managed to catch the blade of the scythe with his large sword and knocked the little girl away for a moment before the two boys landed and started unleashing a barrage of their own in retaliation. Kiba ran in and rapidly punched Wilsk in the stomach before leaping up as Ren came running in and slashed him. Ruby managed to fix her position as she dashed forward and joined the two others in their onslaught of attacks, the sounds of metal and gunfire echoing out as Wilsk was using the least amount of wasted movement to block what he could of the three man attack.

He pulled another trigger under his hand and the revolver turned to the yellow cartridge before pulling the same trigger he used to ignite his blade. The massive sword glowed yellow before unleashing several bolts of lightning that went in every direction, striking Ren and Ruby in their shoulders as a bolt zapped Kiba through his guard. The three went tumbling back before lightning started striking across the whole room as if a thunderstorm was contained inside.

"Jaune! Nora! Tenten! Get down!"

Pyrrha yelled as she turned and tackled her friends to the ground, barely avoiding the massive surge of electricity that blasted right where they stood. They had to duck further down to avoid any damage they may receive from the sporadic strikes. Blake and Sasuke were left to use their agility to closely dodge the bolts that threatened to hit them. Blake was about to land but a bolt of lightning struck exactly where was approaching, causing her to curl up and land in a crouch. She didn't have a moment to spare as a second bolt was coming directly at her.

She prepared to guard but didn't have to as an invisible barrier repelled the lightning and protected all of them from harm. Blake looked up and saw Weiss was holding _Myrtenaster_ forward as a Glyph rotated beneath her feet and glowed brightly to block the force of Wilsk's attacks.

Of course. When facing a sociopath with a powerful Dust weapon, who better to have on your side then the residential Dust expert?

Wilsk clicked his teeth before pulling his sword back and giving a might swing, releasing another wave of electricity at the students. Weiss furrowed her eyes and swung her sword up as several more Glyphs blocked the lightning strikes and reduced them to nothing. The other students started to get back up to their feet as Nora grabbed her grenade launcher and aimed it at the large man.

She grinned as she fired several grenades at him that exploded in a mix of fire and pink smoke. Wilsk was pushed back as his feet skidded across the marble but had no chance to respond as three figures blurred through the smoke towards him. He glared and prepared to attack but suddenly stumbled as dozens of small knives started flying through the smoke and hit him long enough that they could get close. He grew impatient and changed the revolver to its light blue setting as he lifted his cleaver up above his head.

He brought it down and watched as spires of ice erupted from the ground and pierced through the body of the black-haired girl. Just as he believed he had killed one of them, the girl's body disappeared and she reappeared a few feet back, running up the ice with her sword now changed into a sickle. She spun in the air as the ribbon extended and the sickle repeatedly slashed against the cleaver, forcing him to step back to preserve his stance as the two fighters flanked his sides.

Sasuke and Pyrrha started swinging their swords at staggering speeds and tried to topple the massive man to no avail. He blocked Blake's sickle once more before turning on his feet and making a massive arc swipe, causing Sasuke to duck as the blade went over his head and Pyrrha to jump before the sword cut her in half. The redhead rotated in the air and extended _Miló_ into its spear form to increase its power and reach. She thrust the spear at Wilsk who was forced to block and step back as Sasuke spun on the ground and kicked out one of his knees.

He fell on his ass and desperately tried to block various attacks from the swift trio of fighters. He was able to hold them off before he was forced back again as Ruby fired her rifle at his blade and Kiba came charging in like a wild animal, sending jabs to shake his hold on his sword.

Strikes and punches and slashes and bullets bounced off his sword and suit as he was nearly overwhelmed by the attacks that surrounded him. With an annoyed growl he focused his Aura as it glowed through the Dust and made his blade illuminate with a faint blue light.

He swung his blade in an upward diagonal slash, creating a jagged wall of ice in front of him that halted the attacks for a moment before the hunters-in-training maneuvered around it to continue. They tried to attack from the other side but he swung his large cleaver around to create another enclosed space protected by ice. The frozen barrier grew upward until both sides connected and formed an uneven dome of ice around him.

"Move aside!"

They all jumped back after Weiss' yelled her command and closed her eyes to focus her Aura. The revolver on her rapier turned as a purple light covered her sword before opening her eyes and giving a mighty swing. A wave of purple energy flew from the tip of her blade and along the ground before impacting against the dome and making part of it break away-

Just as Wilsk broke out with his sword now glowing green. He swung down in the same direction Weiss attacked from and the floor started to splinter and schism. The penthouse shook with unnatural force as a powerful force blasted through the ground and headed straight for Weiss.

"Look out!"

Jaune pushed her out of the way and braced himself with his shield as the strike blasted him backwards and slammed him into the elevator doors hard enough to bend the doors. He fell to the floor groaning and Pyrrha yelled, "Jaune!"

"HA!"

Wilsk followed thru with his attack as he swung his blade around the whole room, causing blasts of immense power and schisms to break the whole room. The students had to desperately dodge as the ground broke open and the glass shattered over them. Wilsk stopped swinging his sword as he looked at the affect his Wind Dust had on the room.

The marble was split. The couches and art pieces were in shreds. And most of the glass was destroyed.

Well damn. This was going to take some extensive remodeling to fix after this was over. Also, he was going to need someone who could get bloodstains out of the marble.

Wilsk's head was violently knocked to the side as a collapsible arrow hit him in the head and blurred his vision. He stumbled and his knees nearly buckled before he covered his head and guarded against the onslaught of arrows that struck him. He seethed and glared over his arm at the most recent attacker.

Naruto had pulled himself up to his feet after receiving ample time to recover from his injury. He stood up holding _Stormer_ with both hands and all of his short blades aligned along his arms with thin wire. His clothes were partially singed but now that he had recovered, he was ready for round 2.

Naruto sprinted forward, yelling at the top of his lungs as Wilsk squinted his eyes and gripped his blade tightly. He pulled back and swung it out in a wide arc to cleave the blond apart, but his slash merely cut through air as Naruto leapt over it at the last moment. He threw his hand out and three of the short blades ran down the wire and nearly slashed through Wilsk's head as he leaned aside. Naruto quickly pulled the swords back and let the wire get some length before his blades formed a semi-circle between the back of his arms and he landed on his feet. He quickly stepped in towards the man that towered over him and spun like a tornado, forcing Wilsk to raise his blade and block as a storm of blades and sparks rose in front of him.

Wilsk was nearly overwhelmed by the various blades that came in from different sides and varying intervals. He had difficulty keeping track of the silver flashes with sparing moments of the blond hiding behind them. The old man grew tired of this routine and held his arm out as the blades bounced harmlessly off his Dust suit. For the one instant the blades didn't move, he grabbed hold of the wire and pulled Naruto off his feet and towards him to slice him down the center.

As he brought his sword up, Pyrrha's spear was thrown with power from the boosters behind it, knocking aside his hand and letting the powerful blast of wind slice through the wall beside him. He was startled by this interruption and leaving just enough time for Naruto to escape his clutches and attack him. The eleven blades slashed against the suit with the only result being that Wilsk stumbled backwards. The large man gripped his sword as the students all gathered together again and faced him with varying glares. They yelled as they charged forward and prepared to attack to corrupt man.

Sasuke ignored the devastating slashes that surrounded him as he stayed back and activated his Semblance. He got a good look at the criminal boss before taking a moment to retreat from battle. He caught sight of Tenten and Nora on the other side of the room, helping Jaune up to his feet and making sure he could stand after taking the powerful attack that was aimed at Weiss.

The dark-haired swordsman leapt over the bar and hid behind it as he looked for something. His eyes immediately landed on the girl lying on the ground and groaning after being sent flying into the selection of drinks earlier. He shook her shoulder and Yang grumbled, "Okay, what hit me and how hard?"

"Wilsk did. And very."

Yang groggily rubbed her head, "And why didn't he fall down when I hit him? That usually works on...everyone."

Sasuke was looking around the floor, "His suit is woven with Dust. He's essentially bulletproof."

"How the hell were we supposed to know that?!"

"Take it up with Weiss." Sasuke finally spotted what he was looking for as he picked up a bottle that was still intact, "Got it."

Yang looked at the bottle with confusion before raising an eyebrow at his priorities, "Okay, I'm always up for a drink but right now might not be the best time."

Sasuke continued to drop the bottle between his hands to test out its falling speed before nodding. He held it up a little higher, activated the new Semblance he felt his body copy when he looked at Wilsk, and dropped the bottle...

And watched as it fell like a slab of concrete and splintered the floor by his knees, gaining a few cracks that leaked out the pricy drink inside. Yang looked down at the bottle with confusion before looking up at the boy responsible, "What the hell did you do?"

"I knew it." The room shook again from Wilsk's rampage and the swordsman popped out from behind the counter, "Guys, he's using his Semblance! He can change the weight of stuff he touches or the force that acts on it! He's making his blade heavier to block!"

"Oh that is so unfair!"

Yang stood up as well while Sasuke started climbing over the counter, "Let's go! We have to-"

"Mr. Wilsk!"

They froze when they heard a new voice join in on the chaos that filled the room. They looked over to see several men emerge from the stairway and look around in surprise. The hired guard asked, "Sir, what should we-"

"Shoot them!"

They complied immediately and pulled out rifles before aiming them at the first intruder they spotted. Several of them pointed towards Sasuke and fired as Yang pulled him back behind cover, "Save our asses!"

Bullets started flying across the whole room and the Beacon students had to dodge or find cover to avoid any damage. Most of the offensive team had to block and slice through the bullets, leaving themselves open for attacks from Wilsk. The students had to guard and dodge as their chances to counterattack were severely diminished.

Sasuke spotted Tenten and Nora taking Jaune behind a corner and using his shield to protect them from getting shot. He looked aside and Yang crouched beside him, annoyed and eager to get back in the game. He grabbed the bottle he used earlier and looked up just as Yang looked down towards him. They shared a look and nodded...

Sasuke sprung up during the gunfire and threw the bottle as hard as he could, watching as it broke against one goon's face and splashed the rest of them with booze. He started running across the room with Yang following after before he yelled back, "Tenten!"

His partner responded by jumping out from the corner and tossing knives with expert precision, disarming them from across the penthouse. Sasuke took the opportunity to leap forward and kick three of the stunned guards over the railing and down to the lower level. He quickly pulled out his sword and cut the railing to pieces as two guards tried to catch him on both sides.

Yang came charging in and tackled both guys off the staircase and launched them down to the level below with their friends. She stood back up and gave a thumbs up to the boy above her before she heard more people start yelling and running up the stairs. More guys were flooding the stairs and charging towards her before Nora landed beside her and grinned as _Magnhild_ extended in her hand. She twirled it around like a baton before skipping forward and swinging it into the front of the crowd, blasting them backwards and into the people behind them.

Yang smiled as well and let her gauntlets extended down her arms before running in to join the fun. Sasuke and Tenten jumped down to help and watched as Jaune awkwardly climbed down. He landed and stopped himself from stumbling over before the bun-haired girl asked with concern, "You sure you can keep fighting? Or standing? That was a really nasty hit you took earlier."

"I'm fine." Jaune wanted to pat his own chest but wasn't sure if he'd still be standing if he did that. He just feigned it and gave a confident nod, "It wasn't as bad as you'd think. I just need to focus my Aura-however I do that-and I should fix up in no time...I hope." The stairwell shook from both the pandemonium happening in front of them and in the penthouse above as he looked worried, "I can't help at all up there."

"If these guys keep popping up, they're going to cause us more trouble." Sasuke reassured him with a pat on the shoulder, feeling a slight shudder in Jaune's form at the extra strain to his injury. He immediately retracted his hand, "We'll handle these guys first and then we'll go help them. They can handle themselves so don't worry."

Jaune gave a small nod, "I guess you're-"

"Heads up!"

Tenten pulled Jaune aside as a suited thug came flying between them and slammed against the wall. Sasuke pulled his sword out and charged forward, leaping through the air and stomping two thugs down to the ground. He then jumped up and sliced more of the guards' rifles apart as Yang swooped in and sent them flying. The swordsman and brawler worked in tandem to defeat a large group of the thugs-for-hire stampeding up the stairs.

Tenten vaulted over the railing and sent knives in all directions to pin guys to the stairs and wall before Nora came in, happily swinging her hammer without a care in the world as their bodies went flying through the air like dolls. The four extremely destructive fighters were switching out and combining their skills to effectively handle to thugs with relative ease.

Jaune could only stare in amazement and shock as he had to climb down the stairs the normal way, making sure not to slip on a step or trip over the unconscious or moaning body of a man.

Jaune finally reached a few levels down to where his four friends had stopped beating the hell out of the guards. He looked around at all the unconscious guys and had to admire that none of his friends were even winded from the effort, "Man...you guys...handled that pretty quick."

"Yeah." Yang offhandedly answered while holding one guy up by his collar before letting him drop to the floor. She looked around, "Y'know for a bunch of criminals, these guys aren't exactly the best guards for a base of operations like this."

Tenten retorted, "Are you complaining?"

"No." She responded before waiting a moment and shrugging, "A little but I was hoping for some action today. So far all that's happened is I've threatened some dudes, got punched across a room, beat up some goons and that's it."

"We did get to see Weiss sing."

Yang gave a snarky grin at the thought, "Oh, I almost forgot about that. Hehehe, I can't wait to bring that up later."

"You're not going to leave it alone, are you?"

"Not a chance."

They heard the echo of a dozen more people coming up from the lower levels to fight. Sasuke turned towards the sound, "That sounds a lot heavier than before."

"Oh! Oh! Me first!" Nora bounced happily as she grabbed her large hammer and stood at the top of the stairs, "I get first dips on sending these guys flying!"

Yang encouraged, "Knock 'em out!"

The hunters-in-training waited in silence before the figures finally appeared in sight and surprised them. Instead of the usual big dudes in suits, these were tall, metallic men. They were lean and spotless, with black and gray metal coating with red trimming going over their entire forms. Their heads were fashioned in the form of an old knight's helmet with visors that illuminated at the sight of the students.

They students all froze when they saw the new army of enemies coming up the stairs. A squadron of Atleasian Knights-Type 130.

They swung their arms down and machine guns formed from their hands. They aimed them up the stairs and a robotic voice rang out from a speaking system, _**"Threat detected. Course of Action: Eliminate."**_

Jaune reacted and grabbed his shield before diving in front of his teammate, "Nora, watch out!"

***RAT*TAT*TAT*TAT*TAT*TAT*TAT*TAT*TAT***

Sasuke, Yang, and Tenten had to jump back for cover as the Knights opened fire against them. Jaune grabbed Nora and ducked down behind his shield just as the ammunition started bouncing off it. The mounted gatlings decimated the concrete around their targets and their bullets continued to ricochet off the antique weapon.

Jaune could feel his grip weaken from the continuous strain of blocking the deadly onslaught. He tried to ignore the pain as he felt something poke his cheek softly.

He looked down to see Nora bent down beside him and give him a big, happy smile, "Thanks Jaune! That woulda been pretty bad if I got caught in that." She then looked up in serious thought despite their concerning circumstance, "I wonder if I would have become Nora soup? Ewww, I bet that would taste nasty. Or maybe it'd be pretty good if I ate something sweet before. But I probably wouldn't have been allowed in class if I was just soup." She then went back to smiling and reassured her leader, "Good thing you're quick to guard, huh, Jaune?"

Jaune was stunned by her seemingly carefree attitude even though their voices were nearly drowned out by the sound of bullets bouncing off his shield. However, her smile and bubbly attitude succeeded in calming down his nerves and getting some feeling back in his arms. He gave a weak smile and droned, "Well, I guess I'm sorta used to getting the brunt of this stuff with my shield. So no problem."

Nora sat down while hugging her knees to make sure she was still behind the shield before asking, "So what now? I remember Ren telling me these guys have a lot of bullets to fire. Like a ton!"

"Oh." Jaune deflated, having to toss his plan of just holding off until they ran out of ammunition. His arms would give sooner then they would stop. He racked his brain in thought before an idea formed in his head. A weird, unorthodox, silly idea. He turned to his orange-haired friend, "Nora, I have an idea, but I need your help."

She perked up, "Can I blow stuff up?"

"Probably."

"Yay! What's the plan?" Jaune leaned over and whispered in her ear so she could hear him clearly. She blinked once to make sure she heard right before looking at him, "Are you sure it can take it?"

"Won't know until we try. Get ready." Nora nodded and grabbed her launcher before pressing it against the shield they hid behind. Jaune narrowed his eyes, "Three..." Nora gripped her weapon tighter, "Two..." Jaune closed his eyes and leaned away, "FIRE!"

***BANG***

The grenade exploded against the shield and sent it flying forward at ridiculous speeds. The shield was so fast that it broke and tore through every AK unit in its way. However when it got to the bottom of the stairs and there were no more robots to clear through, the shield rebounded off the concrete wall and headed right back up towards them. The ginger girl tackled her friend to the ground and the shield went over them and knocked down the door at the top of the stairs.

The remaining AK units saw what had happened before looking between each other. They retracted the gatlings and swapped out for long titanium blades as they charged up the stairs.

Nora and Jaune sat up before Yang grabbed them by their collars, "Nice job Barf Boy! Now through the doors we go!" She pulled them along and ran through the doorway they busted down and into a floor with tons of desks and offices. Sasuke and Tenten were already inside, looking around for anything they could use to their advantage.

The bun-haired girl noticed Jaune's shield lying on the ground beside the warped door. She picked it up and noticed that there wasn't a single extra scratch or dent in it after what it went through. Her eyes began to sparkle and she marveled at its craftsmanship, "Holy crap! What is this thing made of, diamonds?! Grimm attacks! Dust attacks! Bullets! A freaking grenade! And it's still holding together!"

Jaune walked up and let out a breath of relief, "Oh good, it's not broken."

"Jaune!"

The taller blond was startled by Tenten's proximity and eagerness, "Y-yeah?"

"Can I look at your weapons more when we get back to school?! I gotta know what they're made of!"

"Um...okay."

Yang noted, "Geez, and I thought Ruby was the only weapon weirdo in the group."

"She's not." Sasuke sighed before looking back and saw the AK units were finally in sight as they flooded into the room. Jaune finally got his shield back and the five students backup up together in a circle as the robots surrounded them on all sides. One AK raised its blades towards the students, _**"Surrender. And be eliminated."**_

"Don't you mean 'or'?"

_**"I am perfectly aware of what I was programmed to say."**_

***Bang***

Sasuke's sword was shot from its sheathe and the raven-haired boy dashed and grabbed it in the air, doing a quick spin before slicing one robot directly down the middle. The two halves fell apart from each other before Sasuke looked up to see all the robots looking towards him. He gripped his sword tightly...

One robot tried to skewer him through but he leapt over the blade and sliced the robot's torso off. He kicked off the destroyed body and cocked his shotgun before slicing another AK's arms off and blasting it apart with a shot to the head. His eyes changed red and he dashed forward to slice and cut apart several more Knights before they could even react. He blocked a sword from behind without even looking before aiming his gun under his arm and blowing off the body of the unit behind him. He then fired his gun again to propel him forward and kicked several of them into each other before slicing them up in one go.

Yang launched herself upwards with a blast from her gauntlets before she spotted her first prey. She propelled herself back down and squashed it into the floor before firing two rounds on both sides to knock back surrounding units. She smirked before she jumped up and sent one flying with a right hook. She turned back and hit one aside with her elbow before starting to strike it everywhere with quick and devastating punches, shattering the metal and sending some bolts flying. She then sent it upwards with an uppercut and grabbed its leg before spinning around so fast that she ripped off its leg and sent it crashing into a desk. She looked down at the torn off metal limb as it shot out sparks before grinning and holding it like a bat for fun.

Nora brought her hammer down and flattened one AK into a pancake. She pulled up her hammer and rested it over her shoulder as she started back-stepping from the titanium blades. She dodged and smacked one unit away before leaning from another attack as she spun _Magnhild_ down her shoulders. She activated the rockets and swatted one of them away and through several walls and desks.

Jaune stopped just short of being hit with the robot Nora sent flying as he gripped _Crocea Mors_ tightly. He looked around and tried to find a way he could assist his friends before he saw an Knight come running towards him. He panicked and stumbled back before holding up his shield as the blades slashed and bounced off it. He tried to attack with his sword but his blade was countered and nearly swatted out of his hand by the harsh block. Jaune did what he could and rammed his shield forward hard enough to knock the solider bot back. He prepared to fight again as it immediately raised to its feet...

But a knife came flying in and pierced one side of the robot's head until it poked through the other end. Sparks flew from the sudden obstruction and it fell over as Tenten ran past with more knives between her fingers. She threw them with deadly accuracy, hitting targets on all sides and even nailing the ones not in her direct sight. She ducked a swing and opened her palm as small blades slipped into her fingers and she skewered it through a Knight's head. She leapt towards the last two in her sight and double-edged sickles formed in her hands. She lodged them both in the visors of the robots and they fell over before she took a moment to pause and catch her breath.

"Heads up!"

The bun-haired girl ducked as an AK torso came flying over her head and broke through a plane of glass. She stood back up before looking over at the boisterous blonde with a dubious stare, "Really?"

Yang laughed and swung the ripped off metallic leg around playful, "Sorry, couldn't help myself." She tossed the leg aside and looked at the pieces of metal and robotic remains that littered the floor. She whistled, "Man, we sure kick ass when we get into it."

Jaune looked around at the heaps they had created from the advanced robotic soldiers, "Do you think this is all of them?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No."

"Why do you say that?"

He shook his head, "Trust me...there's always more where that came from."

Nora was crouched down by a fallen Knight and lifted its arm, inspecting the sharp blades they had been dodging before. She poked the arm innocently, "Man these guys aren't all that good when they're just waving their swords around. Wonder why they don't stick to the guns? Those were actually pretty cool."

"Maybe they were just programmed to attack their targets up-close?"

"Well it's a whole lot less affective then the machine guns."

"That probably just goes to show that they built these things a little too weak for normal jobs and stuff."

Jaune didn't have it in him to tell the truth. That these things weren't the weak ones. It was just that these four were really, really, really strong but he decided against it. Let them enjoy their moment.

He looked around and noticed no one else was coming, "I think we need to get back up to the others. They might need our help."

Yang nodded as Nora tossed the arm aside, "Good idea."

The five teens started heading towards the door and walked over the broken heaps of robots in their way.

***Creak***

A strange noise echoed through the room as it sounded like the building was settling. They heard a loud shift and crash happen just above their heads and looked up as the ceiling started to crack in the middle of the room. It then started to glow a faint red and orange before turning yellow and white.

Yang's eyes widened, "Oh-MOVE!"

They all ran out the door as the ceiling came crashing down in a mess of debris, rock, glass, and dust. From the smoke screen of crap coming down, they could clearly spot Kiba landing on his back and groaning in pain with a bruised arm as Ren landed on his feet before collapsing to his knees. Nora spotted her friend and ran to him through the chaos, "Ren!"

There was also a faint light as a ball of blue energy came crashing down into the floor and broke apart to reveal a tired Blake and weakening Weiss inside of it. They all had scuff marks and bruises over their bodies, the damages remaining despite the help of their Aura. Yang spotted her partner and friend in distress and ran over to help them as Sasuke and Tenten did the same for Kiba. Jaune was standing there in shock as he saw a figure stand up in the middle of the floor.

Standing around a dozen broken rocks that were glowing orange and partially melted was Wilsk himself. The massive man had some bruises on his face and his clothes were partially crumbled but he still wasn't hurt too bad. His sword had switched to an orange setting that caused the air around his blade to emit intense heat and warp its surroundings, with a searing red substance dripping down from the ceiling over them. With disdain clearly taking over the subtle anger he was showing earlier he looked over and saw Sasuke and the others that had vanished from their fight. He spoke with a hint of relief in his voice as he gripped his sword, "I was wondering where the rest of you went. I wouldn't want to miss the chance of putting you together with your friends."

He started lifting his sword and pulled it back for a big swing. Sasuke started standing up and prepared to block whatever was coming before he felt a tight grip on his arm. Kiba grabbed both of his teammates' arms and struggled to get traction before he yelled, "Move!"

Wilsk swung his sword and watched as the ground he cut burned orange before creating an explosive wave of lava heading towards his targets. Sasuke and Tenten each took one of their comrade's arm and jumped out of the way as lava started destroying the ground and wall. It glowed brightly one more time before erupting into an extremely powerful blast and blowing the students back off their feet.

Withstanding the blistering heat and shockwaves that ran over their bodies, the hunters-in-training struggled to face their enemy as he scoffed at them. They wanted to rush him but suddenly realized that the floor was separated with large lines of lava that kept them away from each other. He smirked, "And you all barged in here with such ferocity. Where did that energy go?"

"WILSK!"

The old man looked up through the hole he came through to see the red-hooded girl and Naruto standing two levels above him. Naruto had stretched a wire across the hole and Ruby had used her scythe to pull it back like a slingshot. Pyrrha had placed herself at the highest point of retracted wire and the blond yelled with intensity, "RIGHT HERE!"

Ruby pulled off the string and watched as it launched the redhead down like a rocket. Pyrrha yelled and drew her shield and spear as Wilsk raised an arm and blocked the shield that nearly cracked his head. The redhead warrior then flicked his arm aside and tried to strike his head but he leaned back and let the spear bounce off his suit.

Wilsk knocked her back and Pyrrha flipped through the air before landing in a three-point stance. She glared up at him with burning intensity before she shifted her spear into a sword and dashed forward. She pounced and started unleashing a flurry of strikes over Wilsk's entire body, leaving him stunned at the speed, dexterity, and power she showed with every hit that nearly struck him. He struggled to keep up with the warrior as she pressed him back and took ground.

Wilsk felt her sword scrapped against the back of his and he brought his massive cleaver down towards her head, "WRAHHH!"

Pyrrha merely opened her palm and flicked her wrist as the sword veered off and missed her by a foot. He didn't have any time to stare down in shock as the redhead leapt forward and pierced the tip of her sword against his chest. She then extended it into her spear and launched it forward, "HAAAA!"

"GAH!"

The large criminal let out a gasp of pain as he was lifted off his feet for a moment and forced back several feet. The others stared in surprise at the first sign of some substantial damage done to their opponent. Pyrrha stood up and stared the disgruntled man down, "Dust isn't completely invincible. And even if it was, it can't last forever. All our attacks and strikes are accumulating and tearing your defense down." She aimed her spear toward him, "We told you that today would be the end of your rein."

Wilsk's mouth started twisting as a thick growl escaped his lips. He groaned, "Shut up." He gripped his blade and swung it around as he created a large gathering of power around himself, "SHUT UP!" He slammed his sword down and the shockwave went out in every direction, knocking Pyrrha off her feet and unsettling the already failing structure of the room. He grabbed his sword again-

"Heads up!"

That was all he could register as Ruby came flying down from the upper levels and landed a drop kick across the man's face. He stumbled aside as his vision flashed white and he saw the little scythe-wielding girl land with her massive weapon extending out. Ruby's body disappeared in a swarm of petals as she dashed back and forth around Wilsk's body, leaving quick strikes with _Crescent Rose_ that could only be noticed with the sound of metal clashing against his suit.

The greying man staggered and almost doubled-over as their attacks were doing more and more to affect his body. He nearly fell to a knee after Ruby struck him again and knocked his head back with a strike to the chin. She appeared behind him again and prepared for another dash-

"ENOUGH!"

Wilsk reached back and grabbed Ruby by the throat just as she was about to attack. Ruby gasped in pain as the grip increased around her throat before Wilsk tossed her into the floor and watched her bounce painfully. Yang screamed and ran to her sister's side, "Ruby!"

"I WILL NOT BE HUMILIATED BY YOU LITTLE CRETINS!" Wilsk brought his sword down and created a wave of lava that soared towards the two sisters. Yang shielded her wary sister and held her arm out to block the Dust attack that was coming at them. But before it could hit, Tenten dove in front of them and blocked the attack as it veered off in both directions.

Yang and Ruby looked up at the bun-haired girl as her long sleeves were slowly burning down the arm. But Tenten didn't scream as the burning attack didn't hit her skin directly.

Her arms were coated up to the elbow with uneven metal that was now searing hot from the intense heat. Tenten struggled and let the metal coverings pop open and fall from her arms before any lasting damage could be dealt. She panted and looked down at her hands before giving a relieved sigh and opening her hands again.

Her silver Aura glowed over her hands before appearing to turn physical and changing into knives. The throwing blades took full form and she grabbed them before holding them between each of her fingers.

Her friends now suddenly realized where she hid all her weapons.

Tenten jumped to her feet and started throwing the blades one by one at Wilsk as he just used his sleeves to deflect them. With his attackers separated and confined to their spots for the moment, he had a perfect chance to finish them off. He pressed the triggers, switching the Dust revolver to green and letting the power illuminate his blade. He slowly began to raise it-

Until Naruto dropped down and landed on top of the blade, forcing it back down and cracking the ground beneath it. Wilsk was shocked as Naruto looked up at him with a leveled glare.

***BOOM***

The ground beneath them exploded and Wilsk started falling down into the level below, "AHHHHH-UGH!"

He crashed and cracked into the floor before he started groaning and attempting to lift himself up. The fatigue of using so much of his Aura and Semblance to fight them off was beginning to take a toll. Plus, he wasn't exactly a fighter. He learned to defend himself as a young adult and he had learned how to kill people over his life but they had to be done quick. He didn't have the stamina and endurance to go on in a long fight like this. That was where these kids had him outmatched.

He heard the sound of a landing body and gave a tired sigh when he guessed who it was. He slowly inclined his head and looked up to see Naruto standing across from him and glaring down with disdain. Wilsk only hoped he could convey the overwhelming feelings of disgust and hate this boy was causing him to experience right now. The elderly man started to push himself up to his feet and glared down the young man that challenged him. They stood across each other and gripped their respective weapons as tightly as possible.

Naruto dashed forward and reduced the distance to his enemy before jumping up and slashing at the old man's face. Wilsk blocked the swarm of blades and knocked the whiskered boy aside before charging after him. Naruto rolled and skid over the ground before flipping over Wilsk's blade as it obliterated the wall and desks behind him. Naruto whipped his blades down and Wilsk flinched under the pressure of his attacks. Wilsk tried to grab the young man out of the air but it proved futile to snatch the agile boy.

Naruto landed behind the criminal and gripped _Stormer_ with both hands before spinning around and slashing over his back a dozen times. Wilsk attempted to back kick him but Naruto leaned aside and back-flipped out of his range. The kingpin spun around quickly and fired several blasts of concentrated wind at the blond that ripped trenches through the floor.

Naruto kept dodging and avoiding the devastating attacks that threatened to tear him apart. He ran and jumped off a desk before flicking a short blade into the ceiling and using the wires to maneuver around his enemy's flank. Wilsk kept firing wave after wave of attacks, hoping to catch Naruto as he kept avoiding them by the skin of his teeth.

Naruto twisted in the air and flicked two blades towards the crime lord's head. Wilsk just smacked them aside as the blade's slid back down the wire they were connected to. He looked back up-

***THWACK***

And Naruto landed a punch across the older man's face. He landed before turning around and jumping up to strike him again. Naruto landed one more strong hook across Wilsk's face before the elderly man let go of his sword and grabbed the boy's wrist. Naruto was pulled back and he kicked the kingpin in the chin before his other wrist was tightly gripped by the old man.

Wilsk raised the boy up as he thrashed around and tried to escape, taking a deep breath to calm himself down after the extensive battle but to no avail. The greying man inhaled deeply before a cocky smirk spread over his face, "It was a good effort from all of you."

"It's not over yet!" Naruto responded pointedly as he furiously kicked against the Dust suit even as his attacks bounced off pointlessly. The whiskered boy yelled, "We said we'd kick your ass and we won't stop until we do!"

"Even though you're coming to an end?"

"I told you it isn't over yet!"

Naruto kept thrashing around under his grip as Wilsk calmly spoke, "I really am grateful that you came back to me willingly like this. You would not believe the arguments I had with myself about the proper way to handle you. On one hand, you know some intimate details of my business ventures. On the other...why would I ever waste the man power in trying to find such a worthless child such as yourself?"

Naruto stopped thrashing around and just glared Wilsk down angrily.

"I only wanted to take you on because you had some skill in sneaking around. Beside that, you were nothing to me. No connections to call to. No people that loved you. No one to care about you if you ever disappeared. You were perfect in one field and one field only...you were expendable..." He shook his head disappointedly, "And you couldn't even do that right."

Naruto grit his teeth and spit in the old man's face. Wilsk paid no mind to the spit that dripped down his chin as Naruto growled, "Go to hell you bastard."

Wilsk just smiled, "Save me a spot."

Naruto gasped as his strength flattered and he felt like he was carrying a boulder on his back. Then a car. Then a truck. He struggled to hold himself up but found the increasing force to be too much to handle. Wilsk smiled before releasing his grip and letting Naruto crater the ground beneath him, "GAH!"

Naruto struggled to pull himself up before Wilsk's foot pressed down on his head. The old man spoke, "Goodbye, Naruto. And thank you for your services."

The ground broke beneath him and Naruto was left fell into the next level. The moment he hit the ground again, he shattered the floor and fell down into the next floor. And again. His screams echoed as he was sent falling down every level below them as the floors couldn't handle his weight anymore.

"Naruto! No!"

"Ruby wa-AIIIIIII!"

Wilsk heard something zip by him and watched as the little hooded girl went chasing after her friend while the armored boy she pulled screamed like a girl. The black-haired girl landed by the hole Naruto formed before looking up and staring directly into Wilsk's eyes, the two foes keeping their stoic glares before Blake chased after her leader.

Wilsk calmly whipped the spit off his chin before letting out a small grunt as he reached down for his weapon. He pulled it back up before he heard pebbles shift and fall down from the gaping hole above him. He looked up to see Sasuke, the tattooed boy, and the blonde girl glaring down at him. The old man smiled...

"Do you all want to join him next?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"R-Ruby, I-I think I'm gonna-hrggggg!" Jaune covered his mouth as Ruby pulled him down several levels to catch up to their friend.

"Hold on Jaune! We're almost there!" Ruby reassured him as she kept jumping down each level they found a hole. They landed at the last hole before Ruby let her squeamish friend go and walked over to the edge. The lower level was pitch black and she couldn't see anything but there was a wire tied around a creaking, broken part of the ceiling with his blades all around their floor.

Jaune swallowed the bile that threatened to come up his throat and took a deep breath. He looked over at his short friend, "Is he there?"

She squinted her eyes and looked below to try and see him, "I-I can't see him. I don't know if he's down there."

"He's down there."

Ruby and Jaune looked over as Blake dropped down beside them. She looked over the edge before leaping down and disappearing from sight. Ruby and Jaune looked between each other before the light flashed down and the whole lower floor was suddenly illuminated. Blake walked away from the light switch and looked over to see Naruto kneeling on the ground with his arms holding something that kept him from falling over. Ruby beamed a smile as she jumped down to him, "Naruto!" She saw that he didn't react to her voice and said his name again, "Naruto?"

"..."

She heard him mumble something to himself so quietly that she couldn't hear a single word. She leaned in closer as Blake curiously waited to the side, "Naru-"

"Huh?"

"Ah!" Ruby let out a little yelp as Naruto finally responded and looked up at her. She calmed down and smiled when she saw he was still alive, "Naruto! You're okay!" She then took a second to see his arms were shaking from trying to hold onto the wire in his hands, his clothes were slightly ripped from the fall and he had bruises and blood over his limbs. She noticed his bandana had some rips that let his blond hair out and she shrugged, "Well, you're alive."

"Yeah. I noticed." He let out small chuckle, "Thanks for coming to help by the way." He tiredly looked around and asked, "Do you know where my swords are? I think I lost them in the fall."

"AHHH!"

***Slam***

Jaune landed face first in the ground before standing back up to reveal all the swords he was holding, "I got 'em!" He wiped some dust off his shoulder and walked over to his friend's side, "I thought you'd probably want them back."

Naruto ignored his state and gave his friend a thankful nod, "Thanks buddy."

"No problem." Jaune held them out for his fellow blond to take back but Naruto just stayed still and looked at him and Ruby. The two awkward teens looked between each other before asking their friend, "W-what's wrong?"

Naruto realized they noticed he hadn't moved a muscle and he tried to play it off. He gave a nervous chuckle, "Nothing. But-um-could you hang on to those for just a minute. I'm sorta-uhhhh-well-"

"He can't move."

Naruto sighed when Blake was the one to point out his situation with a monotone in her voice. He noticed Ruby and Jaune's surprised expressions as he gave a small nod, "Yeah. I can't stand up. I'm pretty sure I'll fall over on my own feet if I tried right now." He groaned and tried to pull himself up with the wires wrapped around his hands but the small crater beneath his knees creaked when he did, "And I can't lift myself up. Wilsk made me too heavy."

"Well that's no problem." Jaune placed Naruto's blades aside and stepped over to his friend's side. He kneeled down and grabbed his shoulders, "Here, let me try to help you up."

Naruto stayed still for a moment and tried to think of what to say but Blake was the first to point it out, "Jaune, if he can't even lift himself up then I'm certain that means he's too heavy to-"

"No it's all right, trust me." He said confidently before looking down at Naruto, "All right, you can let go of the wires now."

Naruto didn't do anything at first. He really didn't want to discourage his friend but he was pretty sure Jaune couldn't see the skeptical look on his face at the moment. Well, you live and you learn. He lessened his grip on the wires-

"Wooooooaah-okay, that's heavy!" Jaune yelled before he strained and pulled on Naruto's shoulders as hard as he could. His face was going red from the effort as he yelled, "Okay! Okay! I got this! Don't worry man, you'll be up in no time! Just...a little more! C'mon, a little-"

Ruby finally said something, "Jaune, you already slid on your butt."

Jaune opened his eyes and looked to see he had already fallen on butt and wasn't lifting Naruto up at all. He let go of his shoulders, "Oh...sorry."

Naruto gave his friend a thankful smile, "No worries Jaune. I'm pretty sure I weigh as much as a truck...that's been binging...and doesn't do any running."

"Nice simile." Blake dryly noted.

***Boom***

They heard a distant rattle and felt a small aftershock from the battle that continued above their heads. Ruby walked closer to the center of the circle and looked up, "Yang and the others...they're still fighting him."

...

Naruto started narrowing his eyes before grunting and trying to pull himself up with the wires again, causing the ceiling to settle and creak again. They looked at him and Ruby tried to stop him from hurting himself, "Naruto, you have to stop!"

"Can't." He simply responded as he started straightening himself out with a little more effort.

Jaune tired to do the same, "It's okay man. We came up with a plan with everybody else before we came down here. They can handle it."

"Yeah...but I won't-"

***Snap***

The part of the ceiling he tied around finally broke and Naruto slammed straight down on his face, causing more of the floor to crack under his insane weight. His friends flinched and wanted to help him out but could only stare as he tried pushing against the floor again and attempt to lift himself up, putting serious strain on his hands and knees as he did.

Blake stepped forward and decided to be the voice of reason, "They can still fight. But you can barely move. You may want to keep fighting but you can't."

"I know I can't!" Naruto responded as he kept trying to stand up, "But I need to!" He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before he kept trying, "When I try to do something right, I fail. When I try to fix something, I screw up. And when I try to handle something by myself, I realize too late that I'm just walking into ruin." He lowered his head as his teeth started to grind, "I was so lucky you guys joined me...but...I was afraid that if we did...if there was a time I needed to save someone...I'd just fail. And I am...right now." He grunted as he forced himself to sit up and looked back up through the hole he fell through, "I'm not going to just lie down when everyone else is fixing my mistakes. I need...to be there...I don't...want to fail...anymore..."

...

Naruto attempted to stand up but the Semblance power being placed on him caused him to tumble forward. But before he could hit the ground, he felt something wrap around both his shoulders and keep him steady. He looked to his side to see Ruby with her arms wrapped around his shoulder to keep him from falling, her eyes closed and letting out a groan of struggle at the action. He looked to the other side and saw Jaune doing the same, pain very clear on his face from lifting his part of the load. The two teens started to glow red and white as they subconsciously used their Aura to help them with the lifting.

Naruto saw a black ribbon drop down by his face and looked up to see Blake holding the other end from the hole above them. Naruto blinked in surprise before grabbing hold of the ribbon and steadying himself, with help from his friends. Naruto was finally standing on his feet, holding the ribbon to right himself and his two friends on either side to catch him in case. Their Aura started to fade before Jaune asked, "So...what do we do now?"

Naruto thought intently for a moment before he looked aside at his blades and the wire ripped between their hooks.

Lightbulb. A very dim, low-watt lightbulb, but a lightbulb nonetheless.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna make another slingshot?"

She gave a cheeky smile, "Totally."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Yang shuffled forward with her fists up in her boxing stance as she charged her opponent. She threw punches that fired explosive rounds across the room while Wilsk knocked them away with his sword.

Sasuke came flying over Yang's flank and rushed Wilsk with a flash of his sword. He couldn't block in time so Wilsk just raised his arm and covered as much of himself as he could as Sasuke's strikes covered his entire body.

"Got you bastard!" Kiba yelled as he popped up behind the large old man and took a hold of his collar and suit. With a loud roar he pulled the man off his feet and tossed him over his shoulder. Wilsk flailed through the air before he crashed into a few desks and laid here for a moment.

Kiba flinched and with a grimace looked down at the burns he received earlier when Wilsk first used his Lava Dust. Sasuke and Yang came up to him, "You all right?"

"Yeah, arm just feels a little stiff is all." Kiba played it off with a grin and pointed to the level above them, "Just gotta wait until the others get started and we can start knocking this prick down a few pegs." He rubbed his arm a little, "Probably should avoid any more heavy lifting until then-"

"Kiba~! We need help~! Can you come down here~?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow before walking over to the hole and looking down it. He could barely see Ruby at all and just yelled down in response, "What do you need?!"

"We got some heavy lifting we need help with!"

...

"Ughhhh...figures." Kiba groaned before just jumping down and seeing what it was they needed.

...

"Are you high?! Or just incredibly stupid?!"

"Just shut up and help me!"

"Fine! Making me do-SHIT! Dude, when we get back you are cutting down on the lunches! Salads for you! And yoga!"

"Shut up!"

Yang shrugged her shoulders and laughed, "Sounds like Naruto's still kicking."

***BOOM***

An explosion hit Yang's back and sent her flying over the hole and landing painfully on her front. Sasuke looked back and saw Wilsk lifting himself up, a little worse for wear but still able to move. He smirked, "And here I believed you children were smart enough not to turn your backs on your enemies."

"Oooohhhhh~, pretty sure there's only one guy that's been making bad decisions today~."

Sasuke thought another explosion had erupted behind him as a crazy fire source started to grow. They looked back and saw Yang standing back up, fire flowing off her body as she balled her fists. She turned and glared at Wilsk, her eyes turned beet red and all sense of playfulness now absent from her demeanor. She cracked her knuckles, "Hurting my buddies. Trying to kill my sister. In a long list of screw ups...the worst...was pissing me off as much as you did."

Yang dashed forward, cracking the ground beneath her before appearing in front of Wilsk and landing a staggering punch in his stomach. His suit flashed silver and the blast was diverted but Yang's punch followed through and sent the man flying back. She threw her arms down and let the fire roar even higher before she rushed him in her boxing stance.

He stood back up and changed the revolver to its Ice setting. He gauged the girl's distance and swung his blade out to catch her just as she charged. Yang came to a stop and blocked his sword with her gauntlets, causing a massive conflict of ice and fire to cross and destroy each other. Yang pushed the blade back and he gave a loud grunt as he spun around and tried to strike from the other side. The boxer yelled and knocked the blade back with equal ferocity as he turned back around.

The kingpin finally held the blade up and brought it down with the extra force of his Semblance down on the Huntress. Yang crossed her arms and held them up to block the massive cleaver as it made contact and forced her feet almost completely into the ground. Yang struggled as her arms started dipping in as the ice tried to overtake her and the weight of the blade continued to increase over her head. The teen's knees nearly buckled as Wilsk continued to push the blade down on her-

"HAAAA!"

Yang pushed up and flung her arms out, knocking the blade up high and reeling back with a haymaker to land on the crime lord. He protected himself and brought his sword down to guard against her punch but Yang's cross landed and there was a resounding crack through the floor. The kingpin just blinked before looking down in shock at the crack near the bottom of his blade's revolver, causing the grounded Dust cartridges to malfunction and let out sparks.

Yang's fire dissipated and her eyes turned back to lilac as she jumped back and out of his range. Sasuke leapt over her head and sheathed his blade again, looking like he was going to make a follow up attack on his old boss. But instead he drew his sword from its sheathe as it flashed into waves of silver. He sliced the ceiling into pieces and disappeared in the debris as it fell on Wilsk.

"Ready..."

They looked up to see a bright white sigil with a rotating snowflake at its center. The dust parted to reveal Weiss had created a Glyph in front of Tenten, Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha while they aimed their respective weapons at Wilsk. Her eyes furrowed and she yelled, "Fire!"

Ren, Nora, Pyrrha fired and Tenten threw as many knives as she could as they all aimed at Wilsk. Their projectiles shifted through the Glyph, shining white for a moment before speeding forward and ripping through Wilsk's suit. The large man gasped in pain as the ammunition powered-up by Dust shredded through his Dust suit, impacting against his body and further reducing his waning Aura reserves.

"NOOOO!"

He yelled and passed his Aura through his blade, causing the unstable Dust to discharge and release fire, wind, lightning, and ice upwards and destroying the ceiling. Weiss and the others had to retreat away from the danger as Yang and Sasuke had to cover their eyes from the light of the destructive power.

"Yang!"

They turned back to see Ruby had jumped up a few levels and was waving for their attention. She yelled over the noise of the elements and ceiling crashing, "We need your help with moving Naruto up a level! He's too much for just us!"

Yang yelled back, "What are you guys even trying to do?!"

"Naruto thinks we can use this weight to help us! But he weighs more than we thought and we can only get him up one level! We need you to help bring him up to Wilsk-"

"Just get him up one level and set up for whatever you're doing!" Sasuke interrupted before he looked to Yang, "Go help them with whatever they need! I'll make sure Wilsk gets down there!"

The loud noises of the discharging elements started to die down as the busty blonde asked over the noise, "You sure?!"

The raven-haired boy activated his Semblance, letting his eyes turn into a eerie red color and nodded, "Trust me!"

Yang jumped down and followed after her sister as Sasuke was left alone on the floor to face their enemy. He stood up and turned to see Wilsk's hunched over with his grip still tight on his cleaver, even as the elements continued sparking from it uncontrollably. His suit had holes and scratches all over it until parts of his sleeves were just tatters and it didn't look like it could provide much more protection.

He was injured, weakened, and unprotected.

For a man as paranoid and domineering as Wilsk, this was one of the worst situations to find himself in. Uncertain territory.

The greying man looked up, panting heavily as his eyes met with Sasuke's. He growled, "You disappoint me."

Sasuke responded, "Glad I could make someone like you miserable."

Wilsk was furious as the Dust properties discharged with even more intensity and were directed towards the younger man. Sasuke ducked to the side and charged at the larger man as he kept an eye on his surroundings. Wilsk swung his blade and unleashed waves of fire and wind, "You were smarter! You were stronger! You were the better of the two! So how could you go along with that fool and abandon my generosity like that?!"

"Easy! Because I hate you and this stupid business!" Sasuke yelled back as he ran up to Wilsk's side and left a flurry of kicks and slashes over his side, still hitting some of the Dust suit but also landing hits that actually caused the man to stagger. Sasuke overwhelmed him with speed, "Getting to walk away from you and your influence was the best decision I could make! And now-" Sasuke appeared over Wilsk's head and landed an axe kick that nearly knocked him down, "I get to come back and break everything else down!"

Wilsk caught Sasuke's sword with his blade and pushed him back. He started swing his massive sword with extra speed as he and the young man traded blows. He yelled out, "I could have actually used someone like you!" He swung up and Sasuke parried, "A talented fighter!" A low kick, "A disciplined worker! And if you used that name of yours-" They crossed blades and tried to overwhelm each other as the crime lord snarled, "You could have struck fear into the hearts of any man that tried to cross you!"

Sasuke seemed unnerved by that suggestion before he was filled with anger and started pressing Wilsk's blade back. He growled through his teeth, "I. Will not. Become like that."

"No-"

The Dust activated and lightning coursed through Sasuke's whole body, causing the boy to scream in pain before he was blasted back. Wilsk shook his head and started stalking forward, "You'll always be so much less than what you could be. If you delved into the practices your history is known for, be it the truth or a tale, then you-"

He was immediately silenced when Sasuke's whole body was slowly engulfed in fire. The red-eyed boy slowly stood up and felt the new surge of power course through his body. He had to admit, as far as useful Semblances went, getting stronger with damage was up there for people in their profession.

Sasuke opened his eyes again and leveled a glare at the large man, unnerving the kingpin and causing him to freeze. Wilsk prepared for another attack but Sasuke calmly sheathed his blade.

Wilsk stated in surprise before questioning, "What? Are you not going to finish this fight after all?"

"I'm not the one that's gonna finish this." Sasuke plainly stated as he reached down and cocked the top fore-end of his sheathe. He looked back up at the man, "I'm the one that needs to break your hold and knock you down, but I won't finish this."

"That's right." Wilsk grabbed his cleaver and activated the Dust as he charged forward before bringing it up and down on Sasuke's head, "You won't!"

Sasuke was still before his eyes narrowed and he dropped into a long stance. Everything around him suddenly froze and moved in slow-motion. The particles of dust in the air. The elements surging off the heavy cleaver coming down towards him. It felt like he could predict the next move they would make.

Sasuke pulled the trigger and the small ignition from firing the gun merged with the flames around him and caused an inferno to erupt. Sasuke pulled his sword out with the flames covering his body roaring like the sun and slashed against the cleaver, breaking it off from where Yang cracked it earlier and destroying the weapon entirely.

Wilsk stumbled back in shock and looked down at the remains of his broken weapon. Sasuke jumped up and landed against the ceiling before launching himself down and tackling Wilsk into the floor, shattering the ground and causing them to fall several floors down before Sasuke separated from him and let him crash against the ground.

Wilsk lifted himself up, stumbling and trying to find his footing as he rubbed his head. He looked around-

"Ready!"

His eyes widened before he looked across the room and saw where the voice had come from.

He saw Naruto directly across from his with his body still under the effect of his Semblance but somehow standing up. He was leaning back against nearly a dozen metal wires being held between the blonde girl and brunette boy from earlier on either side, both struggling to hold him up like this. The short hooded girl and bathroom attendant were trying to keep him steady from behind as they aimed him forward.

It kinda looked like a slingshot.

Blake dashed in from the side and tossed her sickle, wrapping it around Wilsk's legs before tightening its hold and keeping him stuck in one place.

...

Oh that little mother-

"NOW!"

"AHHHHH!" Yang and Kiba roared before they pulled with all their might and sent Naruto flying across the room. Naruto struggled to right himself in the air but reeled his fist back and glared at Wilsk as he came in fast.

Wilsk grit his teeth and pulled back before throwing a fist forward in retaliation to catch Naruto head and break his neck. Naruto barely move his head aside and let Wilsk's fist scrap his chin before punching back-

***Crack***

Naruto's punch broke Wilsk's nose before he followed through with his enhanced punch, "WRAHHHHHH!"

Naruto sent Wilsk flying backwards and crashing through the window. The large man's body flew through the air, flying away from the Relief building and clear across the street. His flight finally came to an end when he crashed through the ceiling of one of the shorter buildings and crashed into an office. He tried to stay conscious but the pain from his shattered nose caused him to fall back and pass out.

Naruto fell from his launch and started sliding over the floor. He became disoriented and couldn't get a good grip of the ground as he started heading towards the hole in the window he had sent Wilsk flying through. He couldn't stop as he fell out of the building and started descending towards the street, "OoooOOOOOOH SH-"

But his fall was cut short when he felt someone grab his ankle and fell back towards the building. He slammed against another window and suddenly felt his bandana start to come undone as he grabbed it and held it to his head. He looked up to see who had grabbed him before he became a stain on the street.

Blake was hanging them from the window they had fallen from after wrapping her weapon around a sturdy anchor. Naruto blinked in surprise before he chuckled, "Hehehehehehahaha." He looked back up at the girl that saved him from falling and nodded, "Thanks."

Blake let a faint smile come to her face, "No problem."

"Aren't I still heavy?"

"No, you're back to normal." Blake looked out and spotted the building Wilsk went crashing into, "I think his Semblance deactivated when he lost consciousness. That's just how some people's abilities work."

"Oh that's cool."

"Yes." Blake let them hang for a little bit before looking down, "Maybe you should listen to Kiba's advice. A salad would probably help."

Naruto's smile turned into a frown and he just groaned, "Can you just pull me up now? Blood's rushing to my head."

Ruby collapsed on her knees and sighed in relief as a moment of peace came after the continuous fighting. She looked around, seeing the rest of her present friends start to relax and calm down. She spotted Sasuke walking over to them after he stepped aside so they could finish their plan. She wheezed, "We're...we're done now, right? For real this time?"

"For real. I doubt he's getting back up quickly from that." He looked back at the hole Wilsk was sent flying through as Blake and Naruto climbed back up. He noted, "Pretty clever to use Naruto's weight to add force behind the punch."

Jaune fell on his back, "His-haaaa-idea-haaaa-quick-haaaa-thinking. Ow..." He held his chest as his lungs were burning.

"Yeah he gets those every once in a while." He looked over at Yang and Kiba as they shook their arms out for relief, "But lifting him must have felt like-"

"Benching a thousand pounds!" Yang yelled indignantly as she slumped down on her butt and attempting to get feeling back in her hands.

"Really?"

"No! But if he looked as much as he weighed then he'd be too fat to get through a door!" Kiba yelled as he sat down and waved his hands around, "Oh man when I get feeling back in my hands I'm gonna punch that guy!"

"Didn't you throw a Death Stalker?"

"Yeah but at least then I was going on adrenaline! Now I'm lucid and aware and everything aches and I'm tired and it sucks."

Naruto and Blake finally joined back with the group as the blond tied his slightly patchy bandana around his head again. He looked around, "Guys, we gotta go. Now."

The more exhausted members of the party groaned at his suggestion and Jaune waved it off, "Can we have-like-ten minutes to sit down and rest? Don't we deserve it."

"You guys should rest." Blake said before she pointed out the window, "But the police that are coming this way will probably have some questions for you if you do."

Their eyes widened in shock as they immediately ignored their fatigue and jumped to their feet, "Why are the police coming?!"

"Well Wilsk didn't call the cops but I guess one of the other buildings heard all the noise we were making and called them." Naruto said before pointing to the stairs, "So we should probably split before we get asked why we raided a relief program-"

"And attacked an innocent man." They looked at Sasuke as he groaned and shook his head, "Weiss said she heard him talking about his business and methods but she couldn't record it with a Scroll. And we beat him but this is just going to look like an assault. Nothing is going to change-"

"Mr. Wilsk, sir!" And injured guard came running to the door with his broken weapon, "I'm ready for your next...command..."

He silently stared at the seven teens that stood in the remains of the destroyed and totaled room without any sign of his boss. He slowly turned around to run away-

"No you don't." Yang grabbed him by the collar and knocked his feet off from under him. She looked over at the others and smirked, "We just need to know where they're keeping their junk, right?"

No one seemed to argue as they opened the floor to Yang.

She pulled the guy up and looked him square in the eyes with a toothy smile, "Now I've got some questions for you, and if you don't want to end up like your boss getting thrown through a window with a punch that'd probably break a Nevermore, you'll answer them honestly. Okay?"

The thug nervously nodded, "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Please, I prefer sir."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Are you recording?"

"Not yet. Give me a sec."

"Hurry up! They're gonna walk him through soon."

"Okay, ready. In three, two, one-"

"Hello, Lisa Lavender here, reporting live to bring you the breaking news from the Upper District in the City of Vale. Businesses all around the District were put to a halt this evening when they noticed commotion coming from the Peril Relief Effort building. Authorities found Velton Wilsk, the millionaire and founder of the Effort program for over two decades, beaten inside a neighboring building after a group of unknown assailants came wrecking havoc through the building. The officers assisted him and went searching through the building for clues of who might have attacked him, but found something else among the search."

"Officers found, when they entered the building, multiple doors and holes in the walls and floor marked with garish paintings and signs that said 'LOOK HERE', indicating for them to descend into the basement levels and then further down, into rooms and levels the building was not shown to have in its floor plans. There the officers found paperwork and ledgers detailing an intricate and vast movement of money and payment to more than just the workers at the program. But that was not all being peddled by this underground system."

"Stolen vehicles. Illegal firearms. Shipments of Dust from the Schnee Dust Company that had been reported missing for months. As well as hired criminals and mercenaries posing as the guards and staff for the building. The ledgers are also rumored to indicate those that had purchased or done business with this underground network, containing names of some of the most infamous criminals across the kingdoms. Whatever it-"

"There he is!"

Dozens of reporters and cameras started gathering together and flashing as police officers were leading Wilsk into a police van in handcuffs. The large man didn't look at the cameras as they caught pictures of him in his ragged suit and with a bloody, broken nose. The news teams tried to question him but they were deterred by police officers as Wilsk was put inside a van and driven off with an escort of cars guiding them.

Lisa turned back to the camera, "Velton Wilsk, a man believed to be a saint was really a devil in disguise. The stolen merchandise is being apprehended by officials now and the Councils will be discussing what to do with this Relief program from here on out. But some questions still remain...who were the mysterious people that brought this treachery into the light? And where could they be right now?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Can I just wave at the camera and say hi? I wanna see if Dad and Zwei see it on TV!"

"No means no!" Weiss pulled her partner back around the corner where the rest of them were hiding out from the cops and media. She placed her hands on her hips and reprimanded the younger girl, "We already said that we weren't going to reveal we were here tonight! It's already uncertain whether we'll be caught if Wilsk confesses and reveals it was us that did this, and if he does then the Council is going to be very interested in why we attacked their charity! So popping out and saying hello to all the local paparazzi would be bad! Am I making myself clear?"

Ruby pouted off to the side, "More like killing the fun."

"Unbelievable."

"Guys...can you please stop arguing. I have a headache."

"I'm pretty sure that's a concussion."

All twelve of the Beacon kids were tired, weary, bruised in some fashion, and had there clothes dirty. It was a lot of work to take down a massive criminal organization in just one night.

Pyrrha sighed and relief before looking around at her friends, "Well, despite the injuries and pain-"

"Even though there's a ton of it."

"-we did succeed in what we set out to do tonight."

Blake gently crossed her arms and nodded, "We confronted Wilsk, defeated him, showed the cops where to look, crumbled his entire underground criminal network and in the process revealed a dozen other big criminals across the kingdom that worked with him." She gave a small nod, "I say that's a job well done."

"Woohoo! We rock!" Nora cheered, somehow still brimming with energy despite everything that happened that evening. She looked around eagerly, "Hey! Hey! What are we gonna do next Saturday? Infiltrate a military base? Camp out with Grimm? Oh! Try and panty raid Professor Goodwitch?!"

...

No one wanted to even approach the topic.

"Y'know what guys..." Jaune got up to his feet with legs feeling like jelly and had to wheeze out, "I love hanging out with you guys...but I think I'm gonna stay in next week. Can't go partying every night."

"Me too."

"Yeah."

"Dude, I'm gonna sleep-in every Saturday from here on out!"

...

"We should probably head back to school." Tenten said as she dusted off her pants, not at all minding the fact she was only wearing a shirt with no sleeves after having them burnt off, "We don't want anyone knowing we weren't in our rooms this late. They might get suspicious."

"Good idea." Naruto said as he pushed off the wall and started heading down while the others lifted themselves up, "When I get home I'm gonna sleep like a baby!"

"Naruto, hold on."

Naruto stopped when he heard Sasuke stop him and ran up to his side. The black-haired boy looked back at their friends before grabbing Naruto's shoulder and leaned them down so they could whisper in private. The others just stood by patiently as the boys talked.

...

"What?!" Naruto yelled as he shot back up and looked back at them with an embarrassed red hue on his face. He leaned back down to Sasuke, "Y-yeah I know but...they know...w-well I mean they should know...we don't...yeah...right...y-yeah, okay."

Naruto and Sasuke stood back up and faced their friends as Naruto seemed uncomfortable and tried to avoid their gaze. Sasuke was the first to speak, "We want to say something to you all. We weren't certain we would be able to pull this off at all, let alone by ourselves. And even despite what we've done...you guys accepted that and agreed to help." He looked back up at the massive building a few streets over, "None of what happened tonight would have been possible without your help."

"Yeah...that was...really cool of you guys." Naruto almost muttered as he still couldn't face them with his face and ears turning light pink, "You didn't have to do that but it was nice that you did. I mean you guys aren't jerks so of course you-what I mean is-"

"We wanted to say thank you." Sasuke said earnestly with a small nod and smile, "Thank you all for helping us."

Naruto panicked and gave a small nod as well, "Y-yeah...thanks guys. And...and if you ever need help, just ask and we'll be there."

The others stood there in surprise before they all smiled at the gratitude their two friends showed. Of course Yang decided to ruin the moment and laughed at Naruto's embarrassment, "What the hell Naruto, you having a stroke or something? Hahaha!"

Naruto turned away and groaned, "Shut up. I've never had to thank a big group helping before."

Yang and Kiba both popped up on his side and shook him, "C'mon, say it again. Say it again."

"Yeah-pfft-say it into the recorder so we can hear you clearly."

"You guys are seriously pushing it." Naruto grumbled before he felt another person step up behind him and pull on his sleeve. He sighed and turned around to instead see Ruby looking up at him with her big silver eyes.

The hooded girl smiled, "You're welcome."

The three teams all came to a peaceful silence and started making their way back to Beacon.

Yang decided to get one more joke out after their eventful day, "So Weiss-"

"Don't."

"Huh?"

"I said don't." Weiss said sternly before she looked around at everyone and pointed at them, "What happened earlier...didn't happen. This entire evening didn't happen. We were not at a club. I did not wear something ridiculous like that silly outfit. And I did not sing. The witnesses will probably be arrested after what happened tonight, I burned the dress to ashes in the bathroom, and the thought will fade from your memories. There will be...no proof...of how I humiliated myself. Ever." She glared at all of them, "Understood?"

"..."

"Understood?!"

They were all silent as Weiss' command still hung in the air. Weiss stepped back into place and huffed with her arms crossed before she kept walking-

_"-my bad, bad angel put the devil in me!~"_

Weiss froze in horror before looking at her companions and seeing they were all stifling their laughter. She nearly growled, "Who?"

Ruby held up her Scroll to show a video of the performance, "I couldn't help it! You're so good at singing Weiss!"

"Give that to me!"

"No!" Ruby avoided Weiss' grab and started running away, "I'll keep this video forever!"

Weiss chased after her, "You insufferable little red-"

_"-but you came along and my heart went POP!~"_

"Why do you have a video too?!"

"Because Naruto sent us all a copy!"

Weiss turned and glared down her biggest nemesis as he froze under her intense glare. Naruto immediate got the hell out of the way as Weiss charged and started chasing him down the street.

The Beacon students started laughing at the sight of the stern heiress chasing after the blond and her partner.

And the tension of the uncertainty the day had caused them just started to disappear.

**(((((((Hunting))))))))**

The two detectives started making their way into the back of the police station as they headed towards the special cells they had for the biggest criminals. Det. Heyman looked at his partner and said with uncertainty, "You-ah-you sure you wanna be doin' this? Guy ain't said a single word since we brought 'im in."

"Yeah but I still needa ask 'im. Chief's been on our butts all day about it." Det. Burns said as they walked by the temporary cells of criminals that were awaiting trial or transportation to the large penitentiaries. They arrived at the last cell and knocked on the bars, "Hey, you up?"

The bed creaked and Wilsk sat up, now dressed in a blue jumpsuit since it was the only one his side they could provide. He had bandages around his bruised face after having his nose fixed and he didn't seem enthused to see the two detectives wake him up.

Heyman crossed his arms, "We've been movin' out most of the contraband we found in the charity building. And holy cow, you could stock pile man! It'll definitely take us a few more days to get the rest of that stuff movin'!"

"And now we gotta work in tandem wit' the other forces across the kingdoms to get the info out 'bout all the criminals you worked wit'. This was a lucky break but man do we got paperwork to do now." Burns said as he removed his sunglasses and rubbed his tired eyes. He put them back on and nodded, "But now we're getting pressured about who to stick ya with. The Atlesian army want you so they can question where you got all their equipment while the big guy at the SDC is demanding you get life without chance a' parole. But he's most interested in one thing in particular..."

Wilsk was silent as he didn't even bother looking the men in the eyes.

Burns faced the cell, "That wasn't all the Dust that's been missin' lately Wilsk. Where'd you put the rest?"

...

Wilsk turned to the men and they leaned forward eagerly to hear what he had to say, "I said only come when my lawyers show up."

Burns hung his head and sighed as his partner shook his head, "Told ya he wasn't gonna say anythin'."

"Yeah, you were right."

"C'mon, let's get a drink. Pretty sure we could both use a little time away from the desk."

"Sounds good. You buyin?"

"How 'bout we just flip a coin?"

The detectives walked away from the cell and Wilsk sat back in deep thought. It didn't matter who wanted him most right now, he wasn't going to make it to them. With all the people he worked with now in the crosshairs of the police across the kingdoms, someone was going to try and take him out first. Even if he did survive and get out of here, and that was a big if, his business life was over now. The SDC was probably severing all ties to him to save themselves and his assets were most likely going to be frozen. Once he got out, he had a lot of work to do.

But first...when he got out...he was going to capture and kill each and every one of those brats. Especially Sasuke and Naruto.

He told them what was going to happen if they ever crossed him when they started. And he was a man of his word.

"Oof!" One of the detectives said after someone ran into him. The inmates all laughed and jeered at the sight of the folly.

"Oh, sorry sir!" A female voice quickly apologized.

"Well watch where yer goin'! None of these guys need any more entertainment! Freakin' rookies."

"I know right."

"It won't happen again I promise!" The female officer slowly backed away into the Wilsk's sight, making sure to appear embarrassed and humbled by the accident. But the moment the doors closed, she stood up straight and a small smirk came over her face. The dark-skinned woman turned to his cell and pulled out the keys she had swiped from the detectives. She quickly opened the lock and slid the door open as Wilsk stayed firmly seated.

The girl stood there silently before a small smile came over her face. She took off her badge and held it out in front before snapping it in two, revealing it was just plastic. Wilsk actually sat up with intrigue as the girl placed both pieces on the bars and walked out of sight.

The large man slowly approached the bars and looked at both sides, hearing the inmates yell for freedom as well as no cops came running. He looked up and saw the camera was unplugged and nothing that was happening was being viewed at the moment. He looked down the other side of the hall and saw the police boots she was wearing lying in the way.

He followed them, making sure not to draw too much attention before the police came back to see what was going on.

This was...strange.

All of his associates had men in prison to take care of snitches or people that might be a problem. Some could even bribe cops to try and kill him in his cell.

But this one was leading him somewhere.

He looked over to see the boots she had taken were lying in the hallway as a lead. He hurried down the hallway and went down the corner.

He noticed the pants and jacket the fake officer was wearing were lying by the back exit. He followed the trail and came out into an empty alley behind the police station. He looked down and noticed her police cap lying on the ground. He looked around and tried to find anything that could give him a sign about what happened next.

And his thoughts were answered as a white van with tinted windows swerved around the corner. It sped up considerably before stopping a few feet away from him. He waited silently before the back doors swung open and a playful voice called out, "Welcome, Mr. Wilsk, to your personal carrier service for the evening!"

The man that popped out the back was a tall gentleman with bright orange hair and a long bang that covered his right eye. He had a stylish white suit and black pants with boots. In one hand he had a cane and with the other he playful tipped his bowler hat before speaking with mirth, "Sorry about the accommodations but you would not believe how hard it is to find proper transportation for a guy your size! Now come on in!"

...

The man sighed and sat back in the van before pointing at the police station, "We have about thirty seconds before they realize you're gone and everything goes to hell. So~..."

Wilsk looked back at the station before running into the van and sitting across from the other man. They closed the doors and the van quickly sped off into the street.

The orange-haired man leaned back in his seat and chuckled wholeheartedly at their escape. He sighed, "Oh~, when you get into the big leagues you forget how much fun the little things are. Running from the cops. Stealing wallets and purses. Vandalism. It just..." He seemed giddy at the adrenaline and joy running through his body, "So much fun. But once you go big I guess you still do some of the same stuff just...bigger...and with more explosions." He looked at the two people sitting in the front seats, "This must be why you two are always out playing kiddy, am I right?"

The two people in the front seat just ignored him or let out a tiny grumble in return.

The man waved off their annoyance, "Ignore the two gadflies. They just haven't hit their strides yet." He noticed the steely look Wilsk leveled at him and laughed, "Sorry, where are my manners? Hi, I'm-"

"Roman Torchwick."

The professional criminal smiled and leaned back in his seat with a smug smile, "You know about me? Well I'm flattered."

"Of course I know about you. You're the man that's been stealing Dust in my territory." Wilsk said as he leaned forward, "Plus it's not hard to forget a face when you have it hung over ever inch of the media with a target on your back and a price on your head."

"Pfft."

Roman looked at the front seat and glared at the girl that giggled at his expense. He turned back to the large man and smirked, "Well my head isn't the one filling all the little new stations now, am I right?" Wilsk's narrowed his eyes as Roman leaned forward as well, "Bit of an unfortunate luck of the draw with that one, am I right?"

Wilsk kept staring, "Just proves that you should always make sure you and former employees can leave things off on the same terms."

"Oh so that's what happened." Roman said as he nodded his head, "I was wondering who it was that came crashing down the business. What was it then? Disgruntled work staff? Didn't get the overtime they deserved? You have to wonder how bad their dental had to be if they risked breaking into a government-owned building to attack you."

"It was just two rather ungrateful boys I had supplied with purpose in their useless lives. And they replayed me by destroying my life and livelihood. Of course not by themselves mind you. They had help from that a warrior girl, a Schnee daughter, a bathroom attendant, and a little girl in a red hood."

Roman's smile seemed to dip at the mention of a hooded girl in red. He waved his hand around aimlessly, "This girl in the hood...yay high? Annoying? Carries around an obnoxiously big razor blade on a stick?"

Wilsk raised an eyebrow, "You know her?"

"Just surprised how much she gets around." Roman shrugged before sitting back in his seat, "So, now that your life's work has essentially been flushed down the toilet, any plans? Because it would be a shame if all your talent and experience in being a baddy just went down the drain like that."

Wilsk raised his brow in a skeptical fashion, "And what might you be suggesting, exactly?"

Roman smiled and started reaching into his pocket, "Well recently I've been getting into business with some rather colorful and...interesting characters. We have plans-big plans mind you-that could very well shake a lot of things up. Unfortunately the lovely lady I am currently in cahoots with, while being the apple of my eye, is also a bit of a taskmaster. 'Do this'. 'Do that'. 'Faster'. 'Better'. It can be quite exhausting actually." He motioned to the two in the front, "Plus she likes to stick me with Lil' Ms. Annoying and Big Baby Pain-in-my-Ass over here to make sure I get it done. No trust. How can that be good for a relationship?"

"Hmmmmm!" Wilsk noticed the obvious bit of anger and disgust in the woman's throat as her companion continued to drive the car.

"And after seeing what you've been able to do without notice for the last 20 years, how can I ignore when a lightbulb goes off over my head like that?" He pulled a cigar and placed it in his mouth. He lit the cigar before continuing, "I started thinking...how about if you joined us? You obviously have the talent and resources for collecting this stuff and moving it without notice. You won't have a charity to hide it behind anymore but I'm certain our little group will be more than helpful in finding another effective way to move it. You won't be sorry." He held out a hand, "Interested?"

Wilsk stayed silent for a moment before looking down at the offered hand. He looked back up at Torchwick and gave a small smile as he sat back...

"You're an imbecile."

Roman's smile fell, "What?"

"Do you understand how I've been able to control the underworld like this for so long? Anonymity. Loyalty. Diversion. Fear. Control. These are the things you need to have if you ever wish to actually control a world like this. You...you flaunt around like a fool, revealing your existence and relishing the fact that your face is plastered everywhere. You have no intimidation. No force behind you that can bend a man to your will. You are nothing but a pretty boy that wants to play bad. And I will never work with a man like you, Roman."

Roman kept a firm glare on Wilsk as the large man did not waver with what he said. Roman looked down at his cigar before cracking a smile, "Y'know, I should be mad but I'm so flattered by the pretty boy compliment that I don't know what to say." He took a long huff off his cigar before noting, "But my partner-the pretty one I mentioned earlier-she was very clear...'get this man to work with us...or eliminate the competition'."

Wilsk scoffed challengingly, "I dare you to try and make a move."

"M-me?" Roman faked surprise as he touched his own chest, "No no no no no, I'm a businessman good sir! I could never get my hands dirty with such tasks like that." The van came to a sudden stop and Roman popped out the back before giving a cheeky smile, "That's why I brought them along."

He shut the doors behind him and Wilsk turned to look at the duo getting out of the front seats. The driver was a young man wearing a slim black and silver battle suit with dark grey hair. The girl riding shotgun was the same one that led him out of police custody, wearing a revealing tan top and short shorts with bright green hair. The two youngsters gave creepy smiles before they moved towards the back of the van.

Roman silently stood outside of the van and looked around at the empty lot of the industrial district. He sucked on his cigar-

***SLAM***

***BLAM***

***CRASH***

***BANG***

***SCHRIP***

***CRASH***

***SLAM***

The doors sprung open and Wilsk came flying out the back after the van shook around like crazy. Roman released the smoke in his lungs and shook his head, "See? Why do something messy yourself when you can get the help to do it?"

"Shut up you moron." The girl with green hair threatened as she glared Torchwick down, "And what was with all those partner and pretty lady comments earlier? You know Cinder would never be caught dead touching you, creep."

"Whatever." Roman waved off her insult, getting accustomed to their constant bickering. He motioned to the beaten old man, "What happened? Weren't you supposed to make it faster? Seems like your all talk."

Emerald glared, "Shut up. He was harder than we thought he was. And we mean in the literal sense, he was harder."

"Yeah." The boy said as he sat on the floor of the van and rubbed his foot, "It was like kicking an iron wall. Ahhh...I think I sprained my ankle."

"You two gonna keep whining all night or can we get moving? I had to record my favorite show to come do this crap and I want to get back to it quick."

Emerald shook her head, "He's right you know. You'll never be a crime lord being as pathetic as you are."

"Sure, I'll take advice from the street rat just as soon as I take financial advice from a plumber." Roman groaned before he started walking over to the defeated old man, "Just get ready to go when I say."

"We'll go when we feel like it."

"Yep." The boy tapped Emerald's knee as he crawled back to the front, "You're driving now, by the way."

"What?" She asked incredulously, "Why?"

"Well 1) Sprained ankle. And 2) Because I said and I'm already in the shotgun seat."

"Ugh." She shook her head before moving to the front, "Mercury you are such an unbelievable pain in the-"

Roman walked over to Wilsk's body as the older man's head was severely bleeding, creating a pool of blood below his skull. Roman finished his cigar and tossed it aside, "You know...I bet you really would have liked working with us. Enjoyed getting a little fun in your last days, old man. Oh well. You live and you...oops, I guess that saying doesn't get to apply to you anymore."

Wilsk wheezed and reached out to the menacing ginger standing over him.

"By the way..." Roman stepped away from his hand before he could grab him and smirked, "It's Mr. Torchwick to you. Buh-bye!"

Wilsk watched as Roman jumped back in the van and they drove off in a hurry, leaving him bleeding out in the abandoned lot of the industrial district. The old kingpin reached out and tried to crawl away before he lost feeling in his arms and just rested his head.

The old crime lord laid silent, bleeding in solitude as the sound of far off car horns was the last thing that reached his ears.

The old king was dead.

And the new kings were rising.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Woooooooo! And I'm done! Holy crap that took forever! Now I'm gonna take a break and try writing for something else! Anything else's! **_

_**I'll come back to this later after so much needed catch up. Now that we've gotten through the first major arc, I can take some time to work on individual chapters and characters too. Fun!**_

_**Hope you all enjoyed this pound of flesh!**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	21. When the Dust Settles

Hunting or Bust

Dust 16: When the Dust Settles

Tons of RWBY news since I last updated. Does anybody else think that all this anticipation and waiting is going to ruin us before the new Volume even comes out? I get butterflies when I hear anything new and giddy watching old episodes now.

I'm pretty sure by the time Volume 3 finally starts my organs are just gonna slip out from joy.

But at least they're tiding us over until then. We have the final episodes of Red vs Blue Season 13. X-Ray and Vav Season 2 Part B. And 11 Little Roosters.

Only time Gavin's ever looked sophisticated as fuck.

My money's on Skintight Suit Meg, Jewish Canadian Assassin's League Mountie Barbara, Crocodile DunGeoff, or Eyepatch Matt Hullum.

Nothing is more corrupt and evil than the darkness of Eyepatch Matt Hullum.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Ugh." The ivory-haired heiress let out a tiny moan as she tried to move her arms but felt a wave of soreness encompass her movement. She needed to stop for a moment in the hallway she was trekking through to get accustomed to the tender feeling in her body. Luckily there were not a lot of students moving through the halls at lunchtime so she didn't have to worry about too many people staring at her.

She couldn't remember the last time her whole body was aching and sore like this. She had to wrap gauze and bandages over parts of her arms to help sooth the constant experience. Fortunately her uniform had long sleeves so she was able to hide them fairly well. Unfortunately her uniform only had a skirt so she had to use makeup to cover the bruises over her legs and just ignore the uncomfortable sensation.

She wasn't usually a jealous person but she envied Yang and Ruby at the moment. They always wore stockings with their uniforms so they could hide any bruises or bandages they wanted to at the moment. While she and Blake suffered with the need to keep up appearances and make it seem like they were perfectly normal.

All of them needed to appear like they were just regular people during one of the biggest takedowns of criminal activity in recent Remnant history.

...

She had to admit...despite the aches and pain and the sheer inability to walk any faster than a snail over salt, she had a sense of pride well up in her chest. She had been a part of it. She and her companions took a stand against a fiendish man and came out victorious!

His empire was crumbling. The stolen goods were being returned to their rightful owners. All the crooks and thugs of the underworld that were involved with that underground system of goods was being brought in for processing. And the police and Councils had enough evidence to put them behind bars for a long time.

This is what she dreamt of doing. Of making a difference! This is what it meant to be a Huntress! Foiling monsters and evil so that justice may prevail!

Of course what they did was illegal and unprecedented and dangerous and probably would get them killed if they tried again...

But the one time was enough.

"Holy crap. They found a connection to this big criminal family over in Mistral because of the Wilsk System and the cops arrested them in a few hours." A tall girl noted to her male friend as they passed by the white-haired fencer towards their lockers, "Apparently they've been sentenced to life in prison."

"Geez. They're getting all the big name guys all over the kingdoms because of this black market crap." The boy noted as he joked, "I mean I'm happy these guys are getting put away but what are we gonna do when we graduate? Look after empty streets?"

"Probably hunt and kill Grimm, dimwit. The thing we came here to train for in the first place."

"Oh, right. I forgot."

Weiss turned back around and mulled in her thoughts about the consequences of what they had done. They had essentially set a mark on all the criminals that associated themselves with that horrendous man and had crippled a good part of the underworld. On one hand, that was one of the greatest outcomes that could have happened from taking this risk. On the other hand, she had a gut feeling that since Wilsk was an old partner of the Schnee company and her family, their company would probably come under more fire than they usually were.

Plus, there was the effect of removing so much of the criminal superpower so suddenly. It left a vacuum. An empty corner. And the thing about empty space...it will either be filled up by an existing force or territory for new power to rise. Something new was going to come from this result.

Of course, she didn't know about any of that right now. None of them did.

Yesterday at noon, when her team had finally awoken from the long night of fighting a few hours earlier, they had experienced something they had been all too familiar with in their early days of training.

Complete and utter exhaustion.

Weiss' Aura reserves were still pretty drained from the fight where she used dozens of Glyphs of all sizes to attack and augment her companions' abilities. Her Aura reserve was never the largest to begin with so spreading it out so thin had left her empty and unable to heal her soreness.

Blake seemed tired and exhausted from the intense movements and fighting she had to do to attack Wilsk. She had bags under her eyes, her movements were sluggish, and she seemed even less interested in what was going on around her than usual. Even when she decided to stay in bed and read a book to tide herself over, she cringed when she moved her arms to turn the page.

The moment Yang got out of bed, she and the rest of her team noticed what was wrong with her. With her tank top being tight enough that it revealed part of her midriff, it was very easy to notice the edges of some black marks that formed under her top. The boisterous blonde lifted her shirt up to reveal a series of deep bruises that covered her stomach and back from receiving all of Wilsk's attacks.

And finally, there was Ruby. She didn't seem to realize how bad she was doing because the moment she jumped out of bed, she slipped off her numb legs and landed right on her face. And then she realized she could barely walk for the rest of the day. She was very unhappy about that, and whined for most of the day about wanting to get up and do something, but after a while she just grabbed a notebook and started working on something to occupy her time. Weiss didn't care what it was. She was just glad it was quiet again.

So after spending all of Sunday resting and recovering, they were still sore but now they were capable of minimal movement. And Weiss decided to use the opportunity to catch up on learning about anything that might have happened over the last two days since their raid.

Weiss found a newspaper stand with copies of The Remnant Recollection. She gingerly stretched out her arm and picked up a paper that had already been read and placed to the side. She opened to a random page and saw the articles that riddled the page.

**Malcontent Mayhem in Mistral**

Probably referring to the crime family those two students were talking about earlier.

**Schnee Shadow: A Blissful Victim or Devious Partner in Crime?**

The tabloids and press just trying to stir the pot by accusing her family and the company of conspiring with Wilsk. Just libel nonsense that would pass over soon enough. She was used to it.

**The Red Death. A Comprehensive Look and Dissection of the Leader that Spurred the White Fang's Renaissance**

Ugh. And an article entirely wasted on some figure head of that deplorable terrorist group. Whether it was something she read, something she heard, or something she saw, Weiss felt a sense of nausea fill her stomach when those monsters that terrorize her life were brought up as a topic. She immediately turned the page to escape from reading any more of that useless drivel.

When the heiress turned the page, she arrived at a two-page spread that was filled with paragraphs and pictures. All of them depicting Wilsk during different times of his life. Weiss expected this to be the paper's attempt to delve into the psyche of a so-called criminal mastermind that no one else could get.

But it wasn't what she expected. Not at all. And Weiss realized that the moment she read the title.

"Oh no."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

In Beacon's cafeteria, nearly a hundred students were taking their break to enjoy a meal that would help them through the rest of the day. But one group of friends was not having such a fun time during their lunch...

Tenten slowly moved her arm to grab a few fries from her meal and eat them. She noticed that her meal was a little too bland and needed to add a little flavor. Unfortunately the condiments weren't directly next to her which meant she needed someone to pass it over. She hesitantly asked, "Can someone...pass me the ketchup, please."

The other occupants of the table, her friends that were all just as tired or even worse off than she was, looked at the ketchup bottle with a cold stare. At this moment it was like a far off challenge that they had to suffer to defeat.

The closest person to the bottle right now was Nora, and she was doing her best not to fall asleep on her arms right now. The usually energetic ginger was so tired and lethargic right now that you would of thought she was a different person because of her placid movement. The short girl raised her arm up and unceremoniously smacked the bottle over, getting it to fall over on the table before she lowered her arm again. Everyone just watched silently before she looked up and around at the others, "Does anyone else wanna try now?"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes before she got out of her seat and reached out to hand the bun-haired girl the bottle. She was accustomed to bruises and soreness from years of intense training so she just did everything normally, "Here you go Tenten."

"Thank you." Tenten thanked her friend and started pouring out-

***Plosh***

The ketchup slid out entirely from the bottle and splattered over the plate and part of the table.

...

Kiba groaned, "This is so not worth the peace and harmony."

"Here Tenten, I got it." Naruto quickly sprung out of his seat without any noticeable lag or fatigue as he picked up some napkins. He cleaned up the spilled condiment in no time and beamed a proud grin, "Finished! No need to thank me." He looked around and saw a few of his friends were giving him accusing or dirty looks. His shoulders sagged, "What?"

Yang was the one to ask with an unpleasant scowl on her face, "Can you explain how we're the ones still aching from the little crusade you started while you're still bouncing around like a kid hyped on sugar?"

"Well I'm used to using my Aura passively. I don't get a shield during fighting but I heal faster when it's all done." Naruto smirked and pounded his chest with an echoing thump, "I was pretty much all fixed by the next morning. No chronic fatigue for me."

Naruto could feel the envy at the moment before his dear partner flatly groaned, "Y'know, one of these days it's gonna be you getting sluggish and sitting in the bed with bandages. When that happens I'm gonna point and laugh."

"Yeah and I'll be waiting for it." Naruto quickly responded, "But until then-Ha!" He reveled in the peeved expression on Kiba's face as he chuckled and looked around the table. He saw that while most of them were eating, Nora was on the verge of sleeping, Blake was reading, and Ruby had spent the entire day writing in a notebook. Since only one of those things was different than usual he felt like asking, "Hey Ruby, what are you doing over there?"

Yang looked aside and saw her baby sister totally engrossed by the work she was doing. She decided to ask too, "Yeah little sister, I never see you work this hard on anything. What's got you so eager?"

Ruby looked up from her notebook and looked over at her sister. The red and black-haired girl sat up in her chair with pride as she tried to let out a subtle and cool laugh. She puffed out her chest, "Oho~, you guys wanna peek under the hood, huh? Look into the pure genius I'm creating?" Ruby crossed her arms and held her nose up, "Well there's a chance you guys just can't comprehend what I've got cooking up just yet-"

"Okay. Nevermind." Yang stopped the conversation with a shrug as she turned back around to the others, "So does anybody have some notes I can borrow cause I totally zoned out last class-"

"Wait!" They turned back around to the hooded girl at she pouted at her big sister, "I was gonna show you guys...I just wanted to have my moment is all." Yang patted Ruby's head before the young girl picked up her notebook and held it up with excitement, "Tada!"

The others looked at her handiwork and saw it was a bunch of scribbles and bad drawings. Some of the little stick figures had scythes. Some had hammers. Others had swords. It looked like an unintelligible mess without any context.

Pyrrha asked with uncertainty, "Uhhh...what is it?"

"It looks like those ink-blot tests crazy people look at." Kiba stated.

Sasuke shook his head, "It looks like a bunch of people frolicking through a field of rocks."

Jaune tilted his head, "If you look at it from the side and squint yours eyes it looks like a potato."

A few of them tilted their heads and hummed in agreement.

"It's not an ink test! It's not a painting! And it's not a potato!" Ruby corrected, "I was just thinking yesterday about how awesome we were taking down Wilsk-"

"Shhh!" They all hushed the girl before she could say anything else, "Ruby, what about secret operation don't you get?"

"Oh-sorry." Ruby back-tracked, "When we were doing that super secret thing and being totally awesome about it-"

This girl needed a serious crash course in tact and subtlety.

"I thought we were especially awesome when we teamed up and fought together in groups!" She pointed at Yang and Sasuke, "You guys went off and fought a bunch of guards when we weren't looking! And Tenten, Nora, and Jaune all beat an army of robots too! That's the coolest thing ever! Even Weiss proved it was cool when she made your ammo even stronger with her Glyphs!" She then looked at the red-haired amazon and the whiskered blond, "Naruto! Pyrrha! We shot you guys out of massive slingshots! You can't tell me that wasn't totally amazing!"

Pyrrha seemed embarrassed by the sudden attention as she rolled a strand of hair around her finger. She gave a small laugh, "Well, I would be lying if I said it wasn't exciting at the time."

"I got shot like a bullet!" Naruto spoke with animated glee at the exhilarating memory, "I wouldn't mind doing that a little more often! Y'know when we aren't fighting for our lives."

"Yeah! So I came up with these!" Ruby referenced her notebook again, "A few ideas about how some of us might pair off and fight together to use our strengths to the best ability!"

The others looked between each other in pleasant surprise at the youngest girl's suggestion. Sasuke nodded, "That's amazing Ruby. In a critical moment like that you were able to spot the way we worked together and built our strengths off one another." Ruby seemed honored by the recognition she received from her friends as the swordsman asked, "So what do you have so far? Strategies about how we might be able to use our skills to their best advantage? Attack formations?"

"Pfft! That boring stuff can wait til later!" Ruby responded and flipped to the next page to see a bunch of different words over the paper, "I'm making team names right now!"

...

...

...

"What?"

"Team names. Stuff we can call ourselves and yell out when we want to attack. The cool stuff. Oh!" She flipped through a few pages, "I already came up with one that might be good! Hey Blake."

The bow-wearing girl took a moment to close her eyes as she knew her relatively peaceful moment of reading had finally come to a halt. She saved her page and turned to her exuberant leader, "Okay Blake, so I came up with this idea of putting us into groups and coming up with names-"

"I know." Blake stopped her, "It didn't look like it but I was paying attention. It sounded like a really good idea until you brought up team names."

"Yeah, so I thought about us. We're two girls. We're cool. We're sly. We make people jealous about how aloof we are." The others really wanted to point out some serious self-image issues this girl had with herself, "We're Red and Black. And I thought of the best name for us!"

"Checkerboard!"

...

They all just turned to Blake to see the utter lack of change or interest on her face. If anything she seemed even less impressed than she was a second ago.

Ruby shrugged, "Okay, we'll think about it."

"..."

She compromised under Blake scrupulous stare, "W-we'll put a pin in it?"

"..."

Ruby sighed, "I'll just cross that one off the list."

"Good idea."

The others had to admire how Blake could argue and point out all of the flaws with that name without saying a single word. Now that was a skill that took years to master.

Ruby beamed another smile, "But that's okay because I made a ton of more names for us! Like here's one for Team RWBY...Sunburn Penguin! Because penguins are black and white and they have yellow beaks! And when they get sunburn they turn red too! It's perfect!"

...

Jaune tilted his head, "How did you come up with a name as cool as _Crescent Rose_?"

Ruby blushed, "Shut up! It takes a lot of trial and error to make this stuff perfect! Get off my back!"

Naruto rubbed his face, "You're like my dad when it comes to naming crap."

Their conversation threatened to continue before they noticed the last member of their group of friends come back from picking up the paper. Ruby seemed to get some hope back in her eyes when she saw her partner, "Weiss! I know you'll love this because you enjoy labeling stuff and making it organized! I made some names for us when we fight."

Ren: "Blushing Snowman?"

Tenten: "Red Light Flake?"

Nora: "Oh! How about Redness then Whiteness?"

Ruby: "Stop teasing!"

Nora: "Who's teasing?! My name is awesome!"

Instead of humoring the girl and then pointing out how bad the idea was, the heiress stepped up to the table and immediately asked, "Where were you all last night?"

The eleven students were all rather confused and caught off guard by her question. They looked between their teams before Yang joked, "I don't know about everyone else but I was sleeping like a baby. Sucking my thumb and everything."

Weiss furrowed her eyes and her blonde teammate ceased to smile, "Take this seriously. Where was everyone last night?"

They looked at the pale girl and then between each other again before Jaune quietly answered, "Well I-um-went to bed. I could barely get out of bed yesterday so I just sorta stayed in the whole time. And then it got late and I just went to bed again."

Weiss didn't seem to change with that answer and shook her head, "Well then we don't have a witness to where everyone else was during that time you were napping, do we?"

Ruby seemed worried by her partner's stern and accusing voice, "Weiss, what is this about?"

Weiss held up the newspaper before she tossed it on the table for everyone to see, "That."

**The Rise, The Fall, and The End of the Criminal Monarch: The Baffling Case of The Execution of The Underworld Kingpin**

Naruto's eyes widened and he snatched the paper before anyone else could take it. His eyes darted over the pages as they skimmed faster than they could properly read. But he did noticed the real key words, "Wilsk was killed?"

"Last night." Weiss answered for everyone to know, "Somehow he was broken out of prison without the police aware of it, escaped before he could get caught, and then killed in the industrial district. A head wound that left him bleeding out in a matter of minutes."

Blake looked over at the paper and shook her head, "Who could break him out of custody?"

"And who'd risk it just to kill him somewhere else?"

"That's why I asked..." Weiss crossed her arms, "Do we know for certain where each of us were last night?"

It took a moment to register what the girl with the scar was insinuating with that statement. Jaune looked up at her, "Wait do you think..." He stopped and looked around to see there wasn't anyone paying them any attention but still said the next part quietly, "Do you think one of us did this?"

"It's possible. If he testified and revealed that we were responsible for attacking him, we would have come under heavy fire from officials and law enforcement. Our lives here would practically have been ruined if he did. We had a reason to do it...some of us more than others."

Naruto could practically feel those words being directed at him and possibly Sasuke too. He stood up, putting the paper down and shook his head, making sure he didn't raise his voice, "I didn't do it. Me and Sasuke didn't-we stole stuff. That's it. That's all we ever did and we told you the truth about that." Weiss kept her stern expression as the blond just scoffed and shook his head at her attitude. He pointed at her, "He stole from you guys for years. How would you feel if I just started accusing you?"

"I didn't do it. But I could have." Naruto blinked in surprise at how Weiss worded her response as she kept her firm look, "He stole and betrayed the Schnee family for decades, and I'm certain that my family will be under questioning for this as well." She looked around at everyone, "I don't want to accuse anyone but we need to be certain...that no one would think of doing it."

Ruby looked up at her partner, "Weiss, you know we wouldn't do something like that, right?" She asked her partner earnestly and looked around at the others, "Fighting people is one thing but killing them is-is just wrong. You can't-"

"Ruby."

The girl was silenced as she looked around and saw most of them had conflicted looks on their faces. They had to admit that Weiss had some logic behind what she said. It wasn't an outright accusation but a plea for them to say they didn't think about going the next step and snuffing that horrible man out of the world.

Tenten hesitated for a moment before she raised her hand and got their attention, "I was the last one to go to bed last night. After midnight. Everyone else on my team was asleep by then."

Ren nodded as well, "I was up until 1 reading a book. I was the last one to fall asleep by then."

"I woke up to go the bathroom." Yang confessed and scratched her head, "It was late. Like super late. And you guys were all out like babies." She pointed at the paper on the table, "I'm pretty sure that was when our guy got 86'd."

"And he was in league with a number of unsavory people that we incriminated with revealing the underground system." Pyrrha theorized, "Any one of them would have taken measures to ensure that Wilsk didn't incriminate them any further with testimonies or confessions."

Jaune had a horrified expression on his face the whole time and looked up at the redhead, "Yeah but did we...did we get this guy killed?"

That sentence stuck with them. They might not have killed him directly but getting him arrested and incarcerated was their doing. They put him in a kill box. The perfect position to be executed.

"That wasn't us." Sasuke reassured them, "He had been making enemies for longer than any of us had even been alive. And he hurt and manipulated people to get his way. If we didn't stop him, someone else would have." The swordsman furrowed his eyes, "I'm certain...whatever happened in those last few moments, he got himself killed by his own hand."

The Uchiha's statement was followed by a stiff silence. Weiss sighed and sat down beside a Ruby before apologizing, "I'm sorry for bringing this topic up. I just needed to make certain none of us did it." She folded her arms and looked aside, "And I wasn't accusing you-just so you know."

"I got it." Naruto responded as he sat down again and kept an eye on the paper. The atmosphere for their lunch had completely changed now that this topic had been brought up. And it left another blaring question up for guessing.

Who was it that killed the kingpin?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto finished restocking _Gatling Storme_r with compact arrows as he started making his was back to his room. Since lunchtime his thoughts had been preoccupied with the news that Wilsk had met his demise. It really shook him more than he thought it would. He was a formidable enemy and a powerful force that had a ton of power and pawns in his hands.

He was a constant source of torment and pressure that had been hanging over his and Sasuke's necks for the last two years.

And now he was just gone.

The whiskered teen hadn't realized yet just how much weight that idea had behind it. What that meant to him.

He was free now. Like really free. He didn't have to hide that part of his past anymore. Keep it close to his chest and make sure no one ever found out about it. His friends knew now and despite how it started out, they accepted him with open arms. He wasn't burdened by that stuff anymore.

Well...he knew that wasn't true.

But now that the threat of getting caught like that is gone, he could truly pursue the Huntsmen lifestyle without worry now. He didn't think of it as an ultimatum anymore. It wasn't an alternative or temporary choice.

This was what he wanted to do. He wanted to train. To fight. To protect the world from all the evils that it could face. And he was only able to have this feeling of relief...

Because Wilsk was dead now...because of him.

Naruto was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the approaching figure who was also too preoccupied to look up from his work. The shorter blond accidentally knocked into the other man's shoulder and they both stumbled back. Naruto was startled out of his thought before apologizing, "I'm sorry! I-I wasn't paying attention-ah!"

He felt extremely conscious about what he was doing when he realized the person he had run into was the headmaster of his school. The silver-haired man made sure his Scroll was still functioning and on the screen he was looking through being bumped into. Ozpin realized he had collided with the familiar blond he had accepted into his school and greeted him, "Well, hello Naruto. I haven't seen you in quite a while." He gave a small smile towards the boy, "Something important must have happened considering you're so preoccupied in your thoughts."

"Y-yeah." Naruto chuckled and scratched his chin, "Big things in my little noggin'."

"I've heard." Naruto looked up in confusion at the composed older man as he placed his Scroll under his armpit, "Some of the teachers have noticed you have been rather absent in attention and effort in class last week. Glynda even told me that you and Sasuke didn't show up for your sparring classes on Monday." The older man jested, "She wasn't quite pleased with that. In case you didn't know, she is very adamant on wanting our students to follow the rules. I certainly hope whatever was wrong can be handled."

"Oh yeah. In fact it's already taken care of." Naruto reassured with a nervous chuckle, remembering the way he acted in his classes for the entirety of last week. He might as well have just put a mannequin in a seat to let it handle his learning. He shrugged his shoulders, "Last week I was just a little distracted with some stuff that came to mind. Plus I was having trouble sleeping and-"

"It must have been especially tough considering Ruby and your friends discovered your secret, am I correct?"

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment and he looked up at the headmaster as Ozpin just had a calm look on his face. He nodded, "Ruby came and confronted me about it when she found out. She was very nervous and shaken by the news, but she was adamant in believing you and Sasuke had a reason for doing it. She was certain that you two were good people and the others obviously believed it too because they wanted to yell at me when they first arrived but were silent in thought by the end. Ruby decided to ask me about why I accepted you here in the first place. I said only good things, in case you're wondering."

Naruto was silent, awe and surprise covering his face and the news that his friends had confronted the headmaster about him being a former criminal. Ozpin spoke up again, "I told Ruby to trust her instinct and gut on deciding what to do. About having faith in people you believe you can trust. If a girl that could see the best in people like her could see the true you, then I'm certain they would have figured out how to handle this properly." He raised an eyebrow, "Was it handled properly?"

Naruto waited for a moment as he still seemed surprised by what Ozpin said. He felt a warmth start to fill up in his stomach and a familiar sensation start to tingle behind his eyes. He closed his eyes, stopping anything from coming out before a small smile grew on his face.

"Yeah. It all worked out."

"That's good to hear." Ozpin nodded before he pulled out his Scroll again, "Then do you mind helping me out with something? I was working on something earlier and I was so engrossed by it that I didn't notice you coming."

Naruto nodded and stepped to his side to look at the screen, "Sure, what is it?"

The student's throat clammed up when he saw it was a police report with pictures of distinctive bullet casings, stray collapsible arrows, and remains from where Dust had been used haphazardly to attack. Ozpin noted, "Unfortunately there was intense concentrations of heat and fire that destroyed most of the evidence on the scene. However after some searching we found some arrows, sniper and shotgun casings, a few scattered rose petals, and strangely enough some burnt fabric in the penthouse bathroom. The police could only find partial fingerprints and even when they broadened their search none of the evidence pointed to people with known criminal records." Ozpin looked down at the younger man, "What do you make of this?"

Naruto was sweating and he seemed to let out an awkward laugh as he avoided Ozpin's piercing eyes.

"Because I believe that the people that thwarted Velton Wilsk's operation were some eccentric characters." He turned off the Scroll and stood up with a shrug, "Oh well. I suppose we'll never truly know the people that stopped one of the largest criminal operations in history." He gave the bandana-wearing teen a subtle smile, "Then again, doesn't a story like that seem so much more interesting when the heroes are unknown. It might just inspire future generations to stand up against crime and put an end to it, don't you agree?"

Naruto just stared silently at the man as he just let the truth go even though he clearly figured it out in an instant. Weeks after having met the man and Naruto could not put his finger on how the guy operated.

"But there is the matter of what happened last night. With his execution." Naruto tensed at the topic brought up as Ozpin cupped his chin, "The authorities and media are pointing to the same people that attacked the Peril Relief Building the night before. Stating that they broke him out so they could finish the job they started."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, "Listen-"

"But I know that isn't true."

Naruto shut up instantly, "Huh?"

"If that was the truth then the infiltrators would have finished the job and killed Wilsk while they had a chance. Instead, they were far more focused on revealing the entrances to the sub-basement and inventory. Plus, beside some broken bones and bruised mental health, no one on guard was attacked with lethal force." The headmaster deduced as he put the Scroll under his arm, "I believe this was the work of someone else. Someone that wanted to send a message or take control of the remaining power under Wilsk's heel. But I'm certain this isn't the work of the people that brought him down in the first place."

Naruto needed to know, "How do you know that?"

"Because I've seen the work of men looking for pure revenge and the results they yield. They are far more chaotic and uncaring of the consequences. I know the handiwork of someone that wants to do good by themselves instead of just ruining a man for kicks." Ozpin then faced the younger boy directly, "And I'm certain if I looked one of the infiltrators in the eye right now, I'd see nothing like the guilt or darkness from taking a life like that."

...

Naruto looked down for a moment before he asked, "Professor, do you think it was their fault Wilsk got killed like that?"

Ozpin shook his head, "Naruto, we all make mistakes in our lives. And when we do, we try to make up and fix them. But some people...just ignore them and put them aside. Out of fear. Out of disinterest. Out of arrogance. But just pushing them aside will cause them to fester...and when that happens, they will come back to affect us even worse than when those mistakes first appeared." The grey-haired man fixed his glasses up his nose, "I believe that Wilsk made a mistake somewhere along his path, and that mistake came to bite him for it. Whatever led him to that industrial yard, I believe it was something he caused himself. If anything, this should be a cautionary tale for us..."

"What caution?"

"Always face your mistakes when you can. Otherwise...they will come back to hurt you."

...

Naruto was left silent as Ozpin started making his way to the elevator.

"Hey Professor."

The old man looked back again and saw Naruto look aside for a moment before speaking, "I didn't get a chance to say this to you before...because I was so unsure and frightened about what it would be like to come here and do something like this. But I want to say thank you." He looked up at the man, "Thank you for bringing me here."

Ozpin shook his head, "You shouldn't thank me just yet. You still have over three years of hardship to work through before this is over. By the end of it you might have something different to say to me than 'thank you'."

"Sorry but that's not possible."

Ozpin looked over at him again as the whiskered boy had a content and subtle smile on his face. He thanked the old teacher, "I was hesitant to come here at first because it just seemed impossible. It just...seemed too good. Like a dream I might wake up from at any moment." His little smile grew into a grin, "For years I thought I had abandoned my dream of coming to a place like this and being a Huntsmen. But you gave me a chance...and it was the greatest chance in the whole world."

Ozpin turned back to the boy and tilted his head in surprise, "Have you always wanted to be a Huntsmen?"

"Yep, since I was a kid."

"I see." A more noticeable smile grew on Ozpin's face and he nodded to the boy, "Then I'm glad to see that both of us are happy with the decision you made." He turned back around and walked back down the hallway, "Good night, Mr. Uzumaki."

"Night, Professor." Naruto responded as he headed back to his room after the long conversation he had with the headmaster.

The boy arrived at his room and opened it up to first spot Kiba and Tenten talking between each other from their beds. Kiba sat up, "Hey, you took your sweet time. Weren't you just gonna fill up the arrows?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Naruto said as he plopped down in his bed and lounged back in a relaxing position, "I just had a talk with someone about some stuff that's been bothering me."

Tenten asked, "Did any of it help?"

Naruto grinned and nodded, "Oh yeah. It helped a lot."

His head felt so much clearer and he didn't have a pit in his stomach anymore. Ozpin's words and advice had convinced him to just keep moving forward and embrace the life he had chosen now. He was going to do just that...after a quick nap.

...

...

***THUMP***

"AHHH!" Naruto yelped in pain when a heavy weight was dropped in the center of his lap. He groaned in pain before looking down at what rested on his legs now. Several textbooks. Dictionaries. A guide to leading. Study books. He blinked in stunned silence, "What-"

"There you go." Tenten said as she clapped her hands and smiled down at her leader, "Good luck studying. We're counting on you boss!"

"Wait what?!" Naruto held some of the books up, "W-what is this?! What's going on?!"

"Well we totally understand the former thief thing. And that you want to stay here and keeping fighting with us. And we'll stick by you through the whole thing. But that also means that you have got some serious catching up to do, buddy." Kiba said with a smirk as he pointed at the books, "We got Ren and Blake to recommend some books that should help you catch up to us on the curriculum level. That's about several years of training school education on your lap." He gave his partner a thumbs up, "Good luck!"

"What?! You're making me study now?!" Naruto looked down at the tons of books forced on him before he pointed across the room, "What about Sasuke?! He doesn't know any of this stuff either?!"

They scoffed before Naruto looked at the bed on the other wall to see Sasuke was diligently reading and taking notes. He had several books open at the same time and he was rushing over the pages in a matter of seconds.

Naruto pleaded, "B-but I'm the leader! I should be the one assigning this stuff to you guys!"

"And you will." Tenten assured him, "Once you catch up with your grades, your studies, and your homework. You've been slacking off recently mister, and we expect more from our awesome leader."

"B-but...but..."

Kiba and Tenten just keep their dreamy smiles up in contrast to his panic and confusion.

...

"Shit." Naruto groaned before he put the books beside his bed and opened one in his lap. Ughhhh, it was like a giant wall of text assaulting his eyes.

He dreamed of being a Huntsmen...but nothing was worth reading this much crap!

He shook his head before looking at the others, "I can't concentrate in bed. Can I at least do it on the desks?"

"..."

Naruto realized that his room no longer had desks, "Oh. Right. Dammit."

"By the way, where did you put our desks? And how did you get them out of the room?"

Naruto looked up at Tenten, contemplating telling her how he did it...but then remembered how they forced this sucky reading assignment on him.

He smirked, "Trade secret."

Tenten pouted, "That's not funny."

"It's kinda funny."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Okay, are you guys ready because I'm going to ask you for help again. This will be the second time I'm opening part of this story up for your assistance. This time...**_

_**What should the team names be?**_

_**Of course, I'm talking about the shipping names that became canon for team maneuvers and combinations. And who better to ask for help than the people that made them in the first place?**_

_**Some of them are fantastic: White Rose, Monochrome, Bumblebee, Freezerburn, etc.**_

_**Others, not so much for fighting: Death by Snusnu, Vomit Boy, etc.**_

_**Now I've come up with some of my own: Cold Front, Eerie Storm, Tamer, Red Moon, Eclipse, Shadeux, Blondes are Dumb, Blondes have Fun, Nova, etc.**_

_**But I know you guys have some creative muscles to stretch and I want to hear some of them. There are some color themes that I can leave you guys to help with the naming:**_

_**RWBY: Red, White, Black, Yellow (Obviously)**_

_**JNPR: Yellow, Pink, Red, Magenta (Not so obviously)**_

_**NKTS: Orange, Green, Silver, Purple**_

_**The personality traits I'll leave up to you guys to look back over some chapters and future chapters to come and pick ones you think could click. There is no definite date or limit these need to get in by. **_

_**If you have any name ideas whatsoever, write them in a review for a chapter and mention who they are between. That's the most important part.**_

_**As thanks for making you guys do this...I'm about to do something stupid.**_

_**Let me warn you right away:**_

_**WARNING: This is not a definite shipping statement. This is not canon. This is a joke. I want to do this because I thought it was funny and I want you guys to laugh too. Please please please please please don't drop this story because of it.**_

_**Okay...here we go.**_

**((((((((Slow-Mo Blondes))))))))**

Yang was walking alongside an aisle in the library while looking for a specific book for history. She looked down at the paper she received in class that specified which book she would need to write her essay. The bubbly blonde spotted the book on the top shelf and sighed. She pocketed the paper and grumbled to herself, "Can't believe we actually need the book to finish the paper. Shouldn't there be notes or something?"

The tallest member of Team RWBY reached up for the tome but it was just out of her reach. She stood on her toes and waved her hand around to grab it as she strained, "Stupid Blake, saying I can't use the Internet. That's the point of the Internet nowadays stupid."

She realized she was no closer to grabbing the book she needed and lowered herself back on her feet again. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head in frustration. She prepared a more...resolute answer to her problem as she cracked her knuckles.

But her plan was interrupted as a familiar figure jumped off a chair with a kick and picked the book out of the shelf lighting fast. Yang stepped back as Naruto landed beside her and waved the book she wanted at her with a grin. She crossed her arms and stared down the whiskered boy, "I was gonna get it myself before you joined in."

"Yeah but you gotta admit it was cool how I did that." He smirked and let the book sway in his hands, "I did grab it while you were having trouble doing it."

"I could jump up and get it if I wanted to." Yang argued, "I just didn't want to."

"Sure~." Naruto smiled, "C'mon, admit it was cool how I did that and I'll let you have the book."

Yang offered back, "How about I punch you in the gut and take it myself?"

He nonchalantly shrugged, "Yeah you could do that but it wouldn't be as nice as you saying I was cool."

Yang rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine, okay, you win. That was cool how you jumped up to get that. You're as light and spry as a feather."

"And it's cool how you're grounded and heavy like a tank." Naruto joked back as the two laughed between each other. The boy with the bandana passed the book back to the girl with the messy curtain of gold hair...

And then the music played.

The two blondes looked up from the book and their eyes met with each other. Yang with her bright lilac eyes, like an expanding field of flowers that enticed him not to look away. Naruto's luxurious blue eyes that were like a pond a clear water that reflected everything she was.

His lean face made her heart beat.

Her pillowy lips called to him.

He gulped.

She licked her lips.

Yang took the book from his hands and dropped it to the floor as she took his face and brought him in for a deep kiss.

Naruto followed through and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her lower body in closer. She took a hard grip of his head and pulled him in a close as possible to increase their intimacy. She moaned as he cupped a hand under her thigh and lifted it up to press against his hip.

Yang pulled them back until her back slammed into the stack of books and shook the whole shelf with the force. They smiled at each other before molding their lips together once more in a session of pleasure and-

"G-guys?"

Naruto and Yang quickly separated from each other when Jaune walked up to them with a shocked and uncomfortable look. Naruto fixed his bandana and shirt while Yang fixed her long sock and the riding up of her shorts. Naruto coughed into his fist, "Y-yeah Jaune, what's up?"

Jaune felt uncomfortable for walking in on two of his friends swapping spit like that. And if the way they were touching indicated anything then they were about to get into much more risky dealings if he didn't come in on time. He avoided meeting their eyes and asked, "So-uhhhhh-how long has this-"

"Fairly recently, actually." Yang said as she fixed her clothes and looked back at the boy she just got hit with, "Though it seems like the fun was just starting. Anyway, what's up Jaune?"

"I was just looking for the book I need for the essay. Didn't mean to...interrupt." Jaune was about to leave before he noticed the book by his foot. He picked it up, "Who's book is that?"

"Oh, that's mine." Yang stepped up and grabbed the book, "Thanks for..."

And then the music played.

Jaune finally noticed just how much of a hottie Yang was this close up. She had a sweet perfume of fresh flame and lavender. Yang took a moment to appreciate the innocuous look in Jaune's eyes. And she did like guys taller than her.

Jaune tightened his hand.

Yang took a step forward.

Jaune gave a small smile.

Yang smirked.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The other blondes tossed the book aside as they embraced each other and started making out in front of a flabbergasted Naruto.

Jaune reached down and cupped her supple butt as Yang ran a hand through his scraggly hair. They had to separate to breath as their hands roamed over each other before resuming to their deep kissing. The blondes-

"What the hell?!" Naruto yelled as he got in between the two kissers and separated them from each other before things could go any further. He looked at Yang with absolute bewilderment, "What the hell's gotten into you?! Why'd you kiss Jaune?! You were kissing me a second ago!"

Yang blinked her clouded eyes and rubbed her head, "What happened?"

"And Jaune, when the hell did you grow a pair?!" He pointed at the dozy blonde girl that was trying to collect her bearings, "Since when did you become a ladies' man?!"

"I-I don't know! I don't know what's going on here at all!" Jaune shrieked back in confusion, "I just came to get my book and you two were making out! Then I was kissing Yang and now I don't know what's going on!"

"I wanna know why you just start swapping spit with her when we just finished kissing man!" Naruto asked as he faced his friend, "You gotta-"

And then the music played.

Blond hair. Blue eyes. Lean face.

Doofy look on Jaune's face.

Whiskers on Naruto's.

Jaune raised an eyebrow in question.

Naruto raised both as an answer.

Yang stared in shock and horror.

Naruto and Jaune embraced and shared a passionate kiss. Yang looked on in horror as butts were cupped and legs were rubbed. And for some reason she couldn't look away from it. It was like a tragic accident, it was terrible...but in no way was she looking away.

"Woah! Woah! Stop!" Naruto pushed Jaune away and started wiping his own mouth to get the multiple tastes out of his mouth. Clarity came to their minds as the music played in the background, "W-we just need to take a minute and figure this out.

...

"RUBY! TURN OFF THE DAMN MUSIC!"

They looked over to see the young girl sitting at a table with a speaker for her Scroll. She stopped the song and waved at them, "Sorry guys. But it's a catchy song, right? Pretty cool."

...

Naruto just walked away before anyone could say anything. Yang grabbed her book and decided to walk back to their room. Jaune stood there silently and then went off to look for the book for his assignment.

...

"Hey Ruby!" Nora came running out to the red girl from behind another shelf with her shirt and skirt ruffled and unkempt.

"Hey Nora. Are you and Ren done looking for your books-"

"Yeah, in a sec! Hey is that the thing that played the song?" Nora didn't even wait for a reply as she pressed the play button before the music resumed and she hurried off to continue what they started behind the bookshelf.

Ruby decided that day...no more music in the library.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Based off Slow-Mo Love. That video is hilarious.**_

_**Send in your suggestions for team names.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	22. Perchance to Dream of Cookies

Hunting or Bust

Dust 17: Perchance to Dream of Cookies

Holy crap. Taking a step back and having some perspective can really do wonders for planning a story. I haven't obsessed with getting chapters out for this story all the time for the last few weeks.

And somehow I've made plans, characters, storylines, and effects that could go all the way to the fourth volume.

Just goes to show that a blend of binging Eastern and Western culture can help expand a creative mind. Thank you Buffy, Angel, 24, Metal Gear Solid, Strike Back, and (can't believe I never watched this series before) Fate/Stay Night series.

Now here we go! This was the chapter I was planning to do before starting the Thieves No More arc a few months back. You can now see why I hesitated to do that. Why I did this chapter...

I'm not quite sure.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Ghuuuuu~." Ruby moaned and whimpered sadly with her face down on the lunch table. She lifted her head up to take another spoonful of rocky road ice cream before laying her face back down.

Weiss was sitting beside her and just staring at the younger girl's coping mechanism with a glower and her hand supporting her head lazily. She kept watching before asking, "So...is this how you're going to deal with the problem?"

Little tears came to Ruby's eyes, "Leave me alone~."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Well we both know that isn't going to happen."

Blake looked up from her book and took notice of the fact Ruby seemed to shrink in and whimper even more as she ate her ice cream under Weiss' scrutinizing glare. The black-haired girl lowered her book and looked over at the scar-faced girl, "It was just a test, Weiss. There's no need to be so stern with her."

"It was the second test she's flunked in a week!" Weiss countered, "She needs to stop playing around and take the time to study the material we've been given."

Ruby moaned, "But it's so hard~."

"Which is all the more reason you should be studying even harder." Weiss crossed her arms and gave her partner a criticizing stare, "You're our leader. You should at least be trying to set an example and strive to do better than us." The ivory-haired girl then realized that she was on the same team, "Well, at least better than some of us."

Yang waved off Weiss' concern and tried to reason with her, "C'mon Weiss, it's not that bad. So she screwed up a few tests. It's not the end of the world."

"Oh like you're one to talk." Weiss leveled an accusing glare at the buxom blonde, "Your grades were only a little better than hers. What's your excuse?"

"I told you. I didn't wanna." The cold stare she got in return for her honest answer even shattered her playful attitude and she looked aside, "Okay, I may have dropped the ball on that one. But, hey, there's still more tests to come! And we're not the only ones that did bad either!"

"T-that's true!" Ruby perked up at the silver lining and looked at her icy partner with joy, "Other people found it hard too, Weiss! Naruto and Jaune and Nora didn't do too great on it either."

If anything, Weiss seemed even more annoyed by the pathetic comparison Ruby was trying to pass off as an excuse. She groaned and shook her head, "Okay. 1) Naruto is a moron who only got admitted here by Ozpin's curiosity, so you shouldn't take pride in getting a grade as good as his. 2) That 'heartthrob' is a buffoon and extremely incompetent so it's no surprise his grade was bad. And 3) Nora."

...

The silence lasted for a moment before Blake lowered her book enough to reveal her eyes, "Despite the unnecessarily harsh shots at the others, Weiss has a point. The test may have been somewhat difficult, but you shouldn't find comfort in the fact other people did just as bad as you. You have a lot of potential to grow and improve Ruby, you should take the time and nurture it."

Blake's words of encouragement sunk in and the young leader of Team RWBY felt a mix of guilt and determination fill her. Yang roughly patted Blake's back, startling the bow-wearing girl, before giving some words of appreciation, "Thanks for the pickup Blake. I think Ruby really needed that."

Blake blankly stared at her partner, "And you need to stop being lazy and just study."

Yang hung her head in shame.

"That's right." Weiss nodded sternly as she stood out of her seat and looked between the sisters, "You both need to try to get grades as good as Blake and I. Or, at the very least, Blake."

The quiet girl actually aimed a small glare at Weiss' backhanded way of proclaiming that she was smarter than her. But knew that if she actually brought it up, it would just result in a pointless argument so she just sighed and went back to reading.

Weiss then looked back at Ruby and saw the girl had resumed munching on her frozen treat. Weiss sighed exhaustively and placed her hands on her hips, "Ruby, you shouldn't be eating something so sugary and loaded like that before eating."

"Awwwww~, please~." Ruby begged desperately, "I'm sad enough that I failed the test and you're upset with me."

"I'm not-" Weiss grumbled and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "First of all, it still amazes me that your teeth haven't rotten down to the enamel from the amount of sugar you devour everyday."

"You ain't seen nothin' yet." Yang bragged, "When we grew up, she didn't even bother putting syrup on her pancakes. She poured the syrup directly into her mouth and then ate the pancake! It was amesome!"

Oh god. It was taking all of Blake and Weiss' integrity not to gag at the mental image.

Ruby blushed with flattery and waved her hand, "Oh stop."

Blake turned a little more pale, "Please. Stop."

"Anyway!" Weiss got back to her observation, "Eating that much sugar before going to bed is unhealthy. There's barely any healthy ingredients or nutrients in it. It won't properly digest when your asleep. Plus, it will probably give you bad dreams."

"Pfft." Yang just scoffed at the suggestion, "That's just a myth. It's what our parents tell us so that we don't hassle them for treats and snacks before we go to bed. Dad used to use that line all the time so we didn't sneak out and take the cookie jar into our room."

Weiss shrugged, "Well even if that part is just a myth, the rest of it is true. It's not good for the body to eat like that before going to bed. You need to have a healthy and balanced diet to keep your body strong." She smiled proudly and placed a hand on her chest, "That's how I keep my body in such good condition. Avoiding fatty foods like that. Health skin. Slim but strong body. Perfect for fighting and just about anything else if necessary."

Yang giggled under her breath, "Yeah, I bet it was skipping out on a bunch of those fatty foods that keeps you so 'slim' even now."

Weiss' eyebrow ticked infuriatingly as she glared down at Yang, "And what might you be insinuating exactly?"

Yang held her hands up defensively, "I'm not insinuating anything. I just agree with what you said."

Weiss placed her hands on the table and leaned in to glare at the blonde, "Yang Xiao Long, I've learned enough about you these last few weeks where I can notice the infliction you add. What do you mean by 'slim'?"

"Well...y'know...you're a stick."

"How dare you!"

Weiss started yelling indignantly as Yang tried to protect herself from the barrage of light slaps aimed her way. Blake leaned away from them in her seat and tried to focus on her book to no avail. While Ruby just drowned them out and focused on eating her comfort food.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss walked out of the bathroom while making sure her hair wasn't wet after coming out of the shower. After refreshing herself she walked over to her bed and slipped under the covers to get comfortable.

Yang peeked down at her partner's bed and saw Blake finishing up on the big book she started reading yesterday. The blonde asked, "Hey Blake, do you remember how much work we've got this week?"

"A lot." Blake said while she turned the page, "I'd tell you how much but you'd probably get depressed hearing it so I'll let it come slowly over the next few days."

Yang seemed disheartened by that news and sighed, "Ugh, thanks. I know Beacon is a big deal and everything but this workload is just inhumane." She waited for a reply from her partner and looked down to see she was totally engrossed by her book. She looked aside awkwardly before asking, "Wanna play a game until we get sleepy?"

"Not really." Blake responded.

Yang's eyes rolled, "God, you need to expand your horizons girl. You need a hobby."

"I have a hobby. One I enjoy very much." She turned the page again, "I'm doing it right now. It'd be much easier if I could do it quietly."

"Blake, reading is not a hobby. It is self-inflicted torture over a long, slow period of time."

"Well I'm tough so I can take it. And consider the books I'll read tomorrow as more conditioning."

"..."

"..."

"You're no fun."

"It only took you two months to figure that out."

The partners' banter was interrupted when Ruby bashfully peeked her head down towards Weiss' bed, "Weiss."

"What is it?"

Ruby didn't answer as her eyes darted around nervously.

Weiss looked up at her, "Come on. Speak up."

"I...I can't...I'm not sleepy."

Weiss gave her a flat, accusing look that immediately made Ruby close her eyes, "I'm sorry."

The heiress shook her head, "I told you this was going to happen."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

Weiss rubbed her eyes tiredly, "It's fine. I can't exactly say I didn't expect this." She pulled the comforter off of her and sat on the edge of her bed, "So what can we do to fix this?"

"How about a story?" Yang suggested as she relaxed into her bed with her head resting on her arms. She smiled fondly at her little sister, "Those always worked to knock you out when we were brats."

Ruby pouted at her older sister, having to bring up that simplistic method from when they were younger. But before she could argue against it, Weiss agreed, "That seems like it might work."

"What!" Ruby cried out and looked down at her partner, "I'm not gonna go to sleep with just a story!"

Weiss crossed her arms in thought, "Now we just need to figure out which story is best."

"Weiss! Are you listening to me?"

Weiss looked up at her innocently, "Oh, I'm sorry. Is the girl who ignored what I said before and now asking us for help complaining? Do you have something to add?"

"..." Ruby shrunk back into her bed, "Sorry. Go ahead."

"Good." Weiss rested her head in her hand, "Now what would work best? A lullaby? Or maybe an old fairy tale? The Princess and The Moon? The Majesties of Menagerie?"

"Oh! Oh! How about a scary story?" Yang eagerly suggested while wiggling her fingers and making a creepy sneer towards her baby sister, "Huh? How about that, Ruby~? You wanna hear about The School of the Undead again? You were always scared of that story growing up."

"Yeah! Growing up! But I'm done being scared of baby stories like that, Yang!" Ruby sat up in her bed and proudly smacked her chest, "I'm a Huntress now! I can handle any scary story!"

Yang cheekily grinned, "I can see your legs shaking."

"N-no you can't!"

"We're trying to make a peaceful, serene situation at the moment. A scary story would only cause more anxiety." Blake cautioned as she looked up from her book, "We're not telling horror stories."

Ruby seemed to calm down a bit and relaxed peacefully into her bed.

"Calm. Serene. And a way to make sure she goes to sleep." Yang snapped her fingers when a brilliant idea popped into her head. She peeked down at her partner again, "Blake, read a part of your book. I bet that will work."

Blake glared at her accusingly at the way she suggested that her book was boring enough to put someone to sleep. She decided that reading an excerpt from her story may actually work to their benefit and turned to the prologue of the book. She started reading, "Prologue: The Gathering. A man sat in the cathedral in wait as he stared up at the smoke rising from his cigarette. The guilty pleasure generating some sense of warm inside his body while the cold room grew even more frigid with each passing moment. He knew, at that moment, any normal man would be in the room with the woman they loved, helping her through one of the toughest ordeals of their lives. But, unlike most men, he knew he had no right to be in that room. No right at all-"

"Blake."

The ebony-haired beauty looked over at Weiss as the heiress pointed above her head. She followed her direction and looked up to see Ruby was out like a light. Snoring and already with a line of drool coming down on the bed.

Yang peeked down and gave her partner a cheeky smile, "Told you. Torture."

Blake didn't even acknowledge what she said.

She thought it was a great story.

Weiss laid back in her bed and let out a small moan, exhausted from trying to keep up with Ruby's needs.

Yang relaxed on her pillow and laughed, "Well, now you guys have an idea of what it's like dealing with a little sister."

Weiss shook her head, "No. No this is not a little sister. If anything it's a high-maintenance puppy."

Yang nodded, "Well, as someone who's dealt with both, I can agree with that."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby blinked slowly when she realized that she found herself in some strange black and white landscape. The hood-wearing girl stood there on the edge of the black and white forest, bewildered about how she ended up here in the first place. The red and black-haired girl looked around and scratched her head, "Where the heck am I? H-how did I get here?"

The last thing she remembered was...

...

AH! She can't remember how she got here! What the heck?!

The little Huntress decided to take a step forward and started moving through the odd forest to explore. There had to be something that explained how she got here. Or where she was. Or why the color pallet of the outside decided to just stick to the two extreme achromatic colors.

As Ruby wandered through the monochrome foliage, she finally spotted something different from its surroundings. And she knew it was different because it actually had color to it.

She noticed a young woman, walking through the forest but not bothered by the fact that nothing had color. In fact, she seemed to traverse the forest like it was a daily routine to walk through here. She wore the Beacon school uniform and had pretty, long brown hair going down her back.

But the thing Ruby recognized immediately were the large brown bunny ears atop her head.

Ruby stepped forward, "H-hey! Wait! Aren't you from my school?"

The bunny girl looked back when she heard the voice call out to her before she froze in fear. She shivered like an animal in headlights before dashing further into the monochrome forest, "EEP!"

"W-wait!" Ruby didn't actually know the rabbit Faunus' name so she couldn't call out to her. So she ran after her in an attempt to calm her down, "Wait! I'm lost! Do you know where we are?! Please stop-you are really fast!"

The rabbit Faunus weaved through the black trees with amazing agility with Ruby struggling to keep her in sight. The red-clad girl decided that she had enough trailing behind and prepared to dash with her Speed. In an instant, she ran forward at blistering speeds and destroyed the gap between her and the Faunus. But just before she could reach out to her, the rabbit girl arrived at a wide hole in the ground and jumped down it.

"Wait!" Ruby failed to reach her in time and stood over the hole in the ground. It was big. And deep enough that she couldn't see the bottom to it. Ruby stood up and braced herself before jumping in after the Faunus.

And she fell.

And fell.

And fell.

And started falling a little slower.

Before falling twice as fast.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-ORF!" Ruby finally made an ungraceful entrance when she landed flat on her stomach. She barely lifted up her head and moaned painfully, "Ow~. Holes...shouldn't be that big." She finally lifted herself up to her knees and rubbed her head, "Where am I? How did-Ah! What am I wearing?!"

Ruby looked down at her new attire with absolute, unbridled horror. It was fairly obvious from just a quick glance that this was not an outfit for rapid movement or fighting. She had lost her normal fighting attire and red hood and was now dressed in a red and black frilly dress. The skirt was unnecessarily sturdy and stiff and made it difficult to move. The front and back of her dress were dark red and going up her sides was fabric in a mix of black and white. She had also lost her favorite boots and was now forced to wear black strapped high heels.

Of all the shoes in the world...why did it have to be high heels?

Ruby struggled to get up to her feet and stay straight with the uneven displacement of her weight on the heels. She slowly started walking forward, "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Stupid-ow-weird-ow-day." Ruby took a moment to just stop and get a look at her surroundings, which made her jaw nearly drop in surprise.

The new forest she found herself located in was by no means a normal forest. The trees and leaves were every shape and color imaginable, and seemed to move up and down at a whim. It had multicolored mushrooms and cookies growing out of the tallest trees that stretched up like skyscrapers.

At the strange sight, Ruby scratched her head trying to figure out where she was. She closed her eyes, "I...was with the others...eating some dessert. Then...we went to bed. I couldn't sleep...and then I was here." After a moment a look of clarity and relief covered her face, "I'm in a dream! This is a dream!" After that epiphany she looked down at her new attire and frowned, "Then why the heck do I have to wear this stuff in a dream?"

An idea came into her head and she perked up. This was her dream! And she knew it! Which meant she could wish for anything to happen! She closed her eyes and hoped eagerly, "I wanna have a metal suit with Dust firing abilities that can fly!"

...

With no answer to her wish, Ruby deflated a little, "How about I just get my old clothes back?"

...

Ruby frowned, "Can I at least wear boots?"

...

"Ugh." Ruby slipped the heels off manually and tossed them aside into the forest. No way she was gonna go through this forest wearing those feet-killers. She'd rather be barefoot than wear heels.

The young girl walked through the strange forest while various noises emanated from within them. Some normal animal growls and hisses. Other had the same deep guttural churn as the growling of Grimm. Beowolves. Possibly Ursai and Boarbatusks. And without her weapon, Ruby didn't wanna risk confronting them. She braved on into the wild unknown and tried to find anything that could help her get through this weird dream.

"You look like you're lost, little one."

Ruby froze in place when she finally recognized a familiar voice and looked up at the figure over her. Sitting on a cookie that was far above the ground, Blake sat on the edge with her legs crossed while looking down at her with her usual quiet expression. However this Blake was dressed in a black suit that covered her entire body with a tint of purple over it. Her hands clearly looked like paws, she had a long skinny tail that waved behind her, and where her bow was there were now a pair of fluffy ears that twitch at random moments.

Ruby blinked in shock at the strange attire her friend wore, "B-Blake? What are you doing here?"

"I sensed someone moving around in my forest and I felt the need to come and see for myself." The black cat answered while her feet swung lightly and her tail danced behind her, "Usually the bunny is the only one to make regular trips through here."

Ruby shook her head, "W-why are you here?"

"Because I don't much care for the politics and arguments of the inner kingdoms. They can be so tiresome."

"Oh." Ruby looked around awkwardly, trying not to draw attention to the big subject before finally folding, "Why are you wearing that?"

Blake seemed to abandon the mysterious atmosphere she was building and looked down at the girl accusingly, "I don't know Ruby. This is your dream. We're just players in it."

"Okay, sorry." Ruby apologized and shrunk under this Blake's scrutinizing stare. She then gave a small smile and noted, "You look really, really cute in that."

Blake just shook her head before standing up and walking behind the tree beside her. In an instant she appeared from the tree behind Ruby, startling the young traveler as she continued to speak calmly, "You should be careful heading forward. The kingdoms continue to search for intruders across their lands and it becomes bothersome to always avoid them. If they catch you, you'll probably be captured and taken to face the monarchs. If you have a choice, The Queen of Hearts is a much easier person to face in person. The Ice Queen...well good luck if you get caught."

"C-caught?" Ruby panicked and started waving her arms around wildly, "What are you talking about?!"

"But if you want to escape completely, try to find the Doofus Duo. They'll keep you safe for some time."

"Doofus-"

***Rumble***

The entire ground seemed to shake violently and Ruby looked around in fright, "Ah! What was that?"

Blake looked around calmly, "Don't worry. That happens sometimes. They're restless down below." Blake turned around and started heading back to wherever she came from, "Good luck, young one. I hope you can find your way home."

"Wait!" Ruby called out and stopped the black cat woman from walking away so fast. Ruby shyly looked around and tried to steel herself enough to ask the dream figure for a favor, "I-if I'm not gonna be able to see you again...and this is my only chance...c-can you do something for me?"

The black-haired beauty turned back to the shorter girl and plainly stated, "I'm only supposed to show you the way forward. I can't accompany you on this trip."

"No, not that. Can..." Ruby looked up at her eagerly and smiled, "Can you just paw the air and start meowing?! Please!"

This Blake showed the same bored, accusing small scowl that the real Blake gave when she was telling someone through her eyes that they were stupid. But Ruby persisted, giving the most adorable look she could and begged, "Please~."

...

"Ugh." Blake sighed before she turned to the younger girl. She bent her knees a little, held her paw-covered hands up close to her chest, and tilted her head cutely to the side. She pawed the air lightly, "Meow."

"Awwwwwwww~!" Ruby squealed from the adorable act and seemed compelled for more, "Okay! Now twirl around a few times and say 'meow meow meow meow I'm ameowzing'!"

Blake stared at her silently. She then stood up and walked behind a tree before disappearing forever.

Ruby deflated, "O-oh. Okay, bye." The traveler stood back up and looked down the path leading towards a large gate between two columns. Once the gate was open, it gave way to a brick path that extended through a much more tamed and maintained area of forest.

She walked around cautiously, wondering why the background noises of growling animals suddenly stopped before she saw a cloud of smoke just beyond the trees.

Was someone smoking?

But then why was it black?"

***BOOM***

"DANG IT!"

Oh, that's why.

Ruby followed the sound of bustling flames and the smell of charred wood further through the foliage. When Ruby finally got through a large section of trees-

***BOOM***

"AH!"

Ruby finally emerged into a strange clearing filled with bunkbeds as far as the eye could see. And one of the bunkbeds had a big cloud of smoke on top of it with someone coughing in the center of it. The figure inside waved her hands around and coughed violently from the smoke assaulting her systems. When the cloud of smoke and exhaust finally left, it revealed Tenten with a face covered in soot and multiple weapon parts sprawled out over the bed. She coughed a few more times before looking down at the pieces in front of her and sigh grumpily, "Another failure."

"Tenten?" Ruby walked up to the bunkbed and peeked over the top to see her friend's project, "What are you doing?"

"Eep!" The weapon enthusiast yelped in surprise at the sudden new voice directly behind her. When Tenten realized it was just a little girl, she relaxed a little and sighed in relief. She turned in her seat to face the silver-eyed girl that looked at her oddly, "Oh, a traveler. That's rare. No one except the kingdom guards usually come out this far. Who might you be little girl?"

"Seriously?!" Ruby screamed indignantly before sobbing lightly into the edge of the bed, "We've been friends for weeks Tenten! We looked at the latest pump-action bolts and Calibre Dust round mags together!" She weeped softly and looked at the other girl with big, watering, doe-eyes, "Did that mean nothing to you?vdid all our time mean nothing?"

"I...think you may have gotten me confused with someone else." She waved her arm around to gesture to the field of beds, "I'm a hermit that travels the woods and forests. I feed off the land, live wherever the wind may take me, and-more-often than not..." The girl lifted up a piece of spare metal and glared down at it, "Trying and failing to make a cool weapon."

"You travel between the kingdoms?" Ruby inquired curiously, "But...that's really dangerous. I hear almost everyone that tries that gets slaughtered by Grimm."

"Well most people do, but some people have survived out here. For better or for worst." Tenten whispered before she glared down at her workshop with contempt, "And it seems for the worse. Because no matter how much I travel or how much advising I get, I still can't make a weapon that doesn't blow up in my face!"

"I guess that explains the soot." Ruby pointed up at her face, "By the way do you wanna wipe that stuff off?"

Tenten didn't pay it any mind, "No point. It always comes back." She grabbed two pieces and stared at them intensely before tapping them together, "Must. Make. Something. Perfect."

Ruby looked at the serious expression on the bun-haired girl's face and could sympathize with her desire to create an awesome weapon.

_Crescent Rose_ wasn't built in a day.

The silver-eyed girl seemed to ignore the strange dreamland she found herself in as she finally found something to keep her grounded. She leaped up on the other side of the bed, startling the young hermit as she grabbed some pieces of the spare weapons on the bed, "So we just gotta use these pieces to build something cool, right? Then we're totally set!"

Tenten looked down at the pieces between them and asked uncertainly, "We are?"

"Yeah!" Ruby clapped a hand on her chest and smiling, "We got enough awesome between the two of us that we can make anything cool! You with me?"

Tenten felt spurred and invigorated by the strange girls' enthusiasm. Without wasting another moment the brunette smiled and nodded with equal ferocity, "Let's do it!"

"Yeah!" They made a loud high five before looking down at their tools and getting to work.

They connected a suppressor to the end of a barrel.

They loaded a mag full of piercing Dust rounds into it.

They even added high-speed rotating blades that would slice through concrete and metal like paper!

They were making the most amazing, most perfect, most powerful creation in all of human-

***BOOOOM***

The smoke cloud faded and the two girls both had soot covering their faces. Their white eyes popped out of the black masks as they looked down at the shattered remains of their masterpiece. Ruby coughed up some ash before shaking her head, "I think we need better materials."

Tenten finally wiped the soot off her face and sighed. She seemed disheartened by the defective work but she looked up at the younger girl and gave a small smile. She shrugged, "Guess we just have to try again, huh?"

Ruby cheered, "Yeah! That's the spirit!"

"It was over here! I heard explosions and screaming!"

The two girls sat up in their spots when they heard someone familiar yell through the forest and a pair of loud footsteps were running towards them as fast as possible. The answer finally came when two young men came running into the bunkbed clearing wearing full suits of armor with halberds in their hands. In the other hand they held their helmets that would have obscured their vision if worn properly.

The knights were the dream versions of Ren and Kiba. But the thing that really grabbed attention was the fact that there were patterns of flowers and poorly drawn dogs on their respective armors.

This version of Kiba seemed annoyed and pointed accusingly at Tenten, "Oh, I shoulda known it was you hermit! Whenever there's screaming and explosions outside the kingdom walls it's usually you messing crap up!"

Tenten slumped her shoulders and whined, "Well hermits travel the world! Its in the job description! If I'm gonna be walking around all the time then I might as well try making something cool while I do it."

Ren gave a small nod, "Yes but the frequent explosions are a bit of a distraction. A lot of people complain about the constant screaming and swearing that follows too."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Tenten meekly responded before smiling, "But hey at least it's me. Imagine if you guys had to deal with one of the other weirdoes out here."

"Good point."

Ruby looked at the other girl with befuddlement, "Weirdoes?"

"Speaking of weird..." Tenten stifled a laugh and pointed mockingly at their colorful armor, "Did you guys decide to add a little life to the dreary grind. Because as much as the colors bring out your eyes, you guys look like a bunch of kids just grabbed paintbrushes and started going to work." The two boys seemed unamused by her joke but she did get a giggle and snort from Ruby so that meant it was worth it.

Kiba and Ren looked between each other and the boy with tattoos on his cheeks rubbed his eyes, "Sadly, you're not wrong."

Ren looked down at his armor with a hint of disappointment in his usually stoic mask, "Queen Nora got a painting kit from the villagers as a thank you gift. She found our armors and...it's permanent ink."

Ruby titled her head, "Nora's the queen?"

"Hey!" Kiba barked and pointed at the younger girl, "That's 'Queen' Nora's the queen to you!"

Ruby flinched, "S-sorry."

"You should be." Kiba nodded before a moment passed and he stared at the girl curiously, "Wait, you're not from the village. Who are you?"

"Oh-um-hi." She waved shyly to the two young knights, "I'm Ruby. I'm...sorta just wandering around at the moment."

Ren and Kiba looked at the girl with genuine confusion before sharing a look. Ren offered his piece, "We don't hear very much about people wandering outside the kingdom without anyone ever spotting you."

Kiba gave a small nod, "I'm sorry but we gotta ask you to come with us for a bit. We need to ask a few questions-"

"Woah!" Tenten jumped off the bed and covered the girl protectively, "You're taking her in for 'questioning'? No no no, I watch TV. I know how this stuff goes."

Kiba palmed his face, "We aren't gonna do what you think we're gonna do. And how do you have TV?! Aren't you a hermit? And do we even have TV here?"

Ren sighed, "It's all very confusing."

Tenten smirked and crossed her arms, "Tell me boys...are we sure Nora's the queen?"

The two males gave her the dirtiest looks they could as Ruby looked between them in confusion. Kiba growled, "You can't be serious."

"Decree 7.25, 7.31, and 10.24 of the Valkyrie Knight code." Tenten smiled coyly and waved her hand, "Go ahead."

The two boys looked at each other before sighing with defeat. They stepped apart from each other and then faced the girls. They immediately started mirroring each other in a goofy dance and sang in a deadpan voice, "~She's queen of the castle.~She's queen of the castle.~Who's queen?~She is.~"

Ruby stifled a laugh at the funny sight as Tenten leaned down to whisper in her ear, "They'll be at this for at least another ten minutes."

"Ten minutes!"

"Yeah, the queen really sorta lost track of the plot when she made these decrees." The two knights continued their humiliating song and dance as Tenten pointed the younger girl towards the forest, "There's another path over there. Take it for a few minutes and I bet you'll come across a door leading to the Duo. They'll help you with whatever you need."

Ruby looked towards the forest and started heading down the path before looking back at the hermit, "Wait, what about you?"

"Are you kidding?" Tenten sat back up on the top bunk and relaxed back gleefully, "I'm not missing the chance to watch these guys dance like this. Work it boys!"

"Hate you! Hate you so much!"

Ruby was worried about Tenten's safety but saw that the weapon enthusiast had a confidence while she clapped for the show. With a shrug and a kick in her step, Ruby ran down the path and further into the mysterious woods.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby had been running for what felt like dozens of hours. Or maybe ten minutes? She wasn't sure. Time was really screwy in dreamland.

Speaking of which...why couldn't she wake up?

If you realized you were in a dream, doesn't the dream immediately end?

That's what happened before whenever she realized she was in a dream. That's why she could never finish the dreams where she was the best Huntress in the world. Or when she had a _Crescent Rose_ that transformed into a mecha. Or the one where Zwei could speak and they would fly through the sky together talking about the meaning of life.

...

Oh man. Weiss was right about the 'eating junk food gives you bad dreams' thing. She really hoped she remembered not to tell her anything when she got out.

After aimlessly walking around the forest path with her mind wandering about, Ruby finally spotted something that seemed out of place in the strange and colorful forest. A pair of large, detailed wooden doors that stretched up at least two meters high. What made them so out of place was that they weren't connected to anything but they were still firmly planted in the ground.

Ruby stared at the door in silent bewilderment. She looked around the area for any other indication that people would be around here but nothing seemed as definitive as doors in the middle of the wilderness. Hesitantly, she stepped up to the large wooden door and prepared to knock. Just before reaching out to knock, she pulled her fist back and thought about what would-

The doors suddenly swung open and revealed Jaune in a ragged coat and a very large, dilapidated top hat. He looked around before looking down to notice the startled young girl in front of him. He gave her a small pout, "You took your sweet time getting here!"

"Huh?"

Jaune just grabbed her arm, "C'mon! It's lunch time!"

"W-what are you-EEEP!"

Ruby was pulled through the door and ended up in a bright dining room with a large table covered with an assortment of food and a tarp. Ruby blinked in shock before looking back as Jaune closed the doors and clapped his hands together. He looked back at his guest and gave her a goofy smile, "Hey, what are you doing lying on the floor? The last guest is coming! You can't eat down there!"

Ruby shook her head, "Y-you threw me down-"

"Ah ah ah!" Jaune shook his head and the worn out hat bounced with him. The irreverent blond bounced around the table like a giddy child as he played with the large white sheet covering something on the center of the table. He smiled at the girl as she picked herself up, "We've been waiting all day to get into this meal! And we're hungry!"

Ruby looked at this strange version of her goofy friend and felt a little bad that her subconscious thought him up like this. She looked around the room, "Um, Jaune, what are you-"

"Ah!" He interrupted her and pointed at himself, "We don't know this Jaune fellow you speak of. We're the eccentric traveling conno-sour of this land. The Crazy Capper! At your serivce, Little Small

Person."

Ruby pouted, "I'm not small! I'm...compact."

"Oh, okay." Jaune took off his hat and bowed to her, "We are the Crazy Capper. At your service, Little Compact Person."

Ruby sighed. She wasn't gonna win this fight.

***ginD*ginD***

The two occupants of the room looked over as the main door opened again to let in its next arrival. Ruby watched in silent awe as Naruto came in riding a double seat bike backwards with expert control. This version of her friend was dressed in messed up clothes too, but this version had fluffy, pointed animal ears in his blond hair. He rode the bike backwards around the table and sang in a distorted voice, "~doohrobhgien eht ni yad lufrednow a, doohrobhgien eht ni yad lufrednow a s'tI~." He finally stopped directly in front of them to jump off the bike and pat its bars affectionately, "Okay bikey, come pick me up later."

***ginD*ginD***

The bike then jetted out the door at breakneck speeds all by itself.

...

This dream just got so much weirder.

Naruto greeted Jaune with a big hug, "Crazy Capper! How long has it been since I last saw you?"

"Two hours our friend!"

"My, how time passes." Naruto then looked over at Ruby and tilted his head in confusion, "Who's this little small person?"

"Hey!"

"Ah ah! That is incorrect Animal Guy." Crazy Capper offered politely, "She actually goes by Little Compact Person. She made sure we knew that."

"Oh. I'm sorry." The whiskered teen apologized, "Hello Little Compact Person. I'm Animal Guy. Nice to meet you."

Ruby just stared at the two of them flatly and grumbled, "You guys suck at making names."

"Blame our parents. They named us."

"Come come. Sit down. It's time for lunch."

The Crazy Capper offered them seats at the table that the whiskered boy and tall blond instantly took. Ruby slowly took a seat across from them, growing more worried and tired of being here with each moment. When she was firmly seated she looked at the weird guys across from her and asked, "So...are you the Doofus Duo Blake and Tenten were talking about?"

"Oh? You mean Wandering Catnip and Exploding Hermit sent you here?" The Crazy Capper inquired before a jaunty laugh echoed between him and the whiskered man, "That explains why they aren't here! Dealing with their own stuff we suppose!"

Animal Guy nodded, "Sounds like them."

Ruby seemed to liven up a little in the presence of her weird friends again. These might not actually be Naruto and Jaune but they definitely made her feel better like the real ones did. She smiled, "I should've know it was you two getting called weird by everyone else."

Both blondes looked at the younger girl with a mix of hurt and annoyance. They sternly replied, "Hey! Don't go saying something like that! That makes it sound like you were expecting us."

Ruby seemed startled by their combined reluctance with her phrasing, "W-what's wrong with that?"

"Well we're crazy and weird and unpredictable." The Crazy Capper responded with a grumble and cross of his arms.

Animal Guy nodded, "With us, you can only expect the unexpected."

Naruto reached up and removed his ears, revealing them to just be a decoration on top of his head. Jaune also removed his hat to reveal a pair of droopy dog ears that flopped down on the side of his head.

Ruby's eyes widened to the size of plates as she looked between the two boys in surprise. She mumbled, "Okay...I wasn't expecting that."

"Ah!" Crazy Capper raised up his hand triumphantly, "But at the same time, it is foolish to expect to expect the unexpected from expectedly happening."

This time, Jaune removed the ears as a decoration and Naruto pulled his wig off to reveal the pointy ears beneath it again. They tossed the decorations aside and cheered, "Tada!"

Ruby gave them a small glare and pouted, "You guys are mean."

Crazy Capper stood up and patted his belly, "Well, we believe we've teased Little Compact Person enough and worked up an appetite." He grabbed the sheet over the center of the table and pulled it off, "Time to eat!"

When the sheet was removed, it revealed a large assortment of different foods prepared in extravagant ways. On Ruby's far left were spicy foods with crackers and brown rice modeled like sand hills. On her far right was a roast and turkey with candles placed around them like towers. On the far end of the table across from her was ice cream sundaes with more cookies and desserts than she had ever seen before. But the thing that drew her eye was that directly in front of her, at the center of the table, was a frosted cake detailed to look like a miniature version of Beacon.

Her eyes became sparkling stars at the sight of the centerpiece. She tried to contain her drool but failed as she wiped her mouth, "Y-y-y-y-you made a cake? A-and you made it look like Beacon?"

"Sure, why not. We don't know what Beacon is but this design just sorta came to us." Crazy Capper bowed his head and offered the table to his friends, "Enjoy!"

"Yay!" Ruby picked up a fork and knife and prepared to dig in. This dream was starting to concern her but if she could eat a meal this big and appetizing then it would be worth it. She licked her lips and prepared to dig in.

***Rumble***

Another earthquake passed underneath them and shook the entire room. With the violent tremor, the table shifted on its legs before collapsing down the middle, destroying the wonderfully prepared food and dropping on the ground in front of Ruby. She stared in silent horror at the wasted meal as her fork and knife dropped from her hands.

The whiskered man hummed and looked at his friend, "That's unfortunate."

The scraggly blond nodded, "Yes. But they're restless down below. So it happens." The Capper just clapped his hands joyfully, "Oh well! Now we can prepare for dinner!"

"Woohoo!"

Ruby slipped out of her chair and fell to her hands and knees. The Duo looked between each other before asking the disheartened girl, "Are you okay, Little Compact Person?"

She whimpered sadly before looking up at the duo, "I want this stupid dream to be over. I just wanna wake up and go home."

The whiskered animal man jumped down to her side and pulled her up to her feet, "Well you can't do that just yet. You gotta finish the rest of the dream if you wanna get out of here."

Ruby blinked up at him, "W-what?"

"Yeah!" Dream Jaune agreed as he walked up beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "You can't just go through half the dream and decide to quit! It's all or nothing! And you're in the long run for all now!"

"I-I am?" Both blondes nodded in agreement as Ruby looked down in deep contemplation. She gave a small nod before looking between the two weirdoes hopefully, "How do I finish this dream?"

"Well first you gotta get to the right place." Naruto answered as he reached down and picked up a big plate of mashed potatoes off the ground. He started molding them into two large, round hills that pressed together closely, "This is Cl-Ava-G hills. It lies in the middle of the map, between all the kingdoms and colonies around here. Once you're in the middle of the hills, you'll be safe for awhile until it can no longer protect you."

Ruby stared at the potato model he had created and pointed out, "Um, that looks like a butt."

"It's not a butt."

"Oh. Okay." Ruby stared at the model again before narrowing her eyes, "Wait, are those bo-"

"Can't waste anymore time!" Jaune turned her around and started forcing her towards the door, "Good luck on your adventure, Little Compact Person! If you survive, make sure to come visit for dinner! We'll have ice cream pizza!"

"S-survive?!"

"See ya!"

The doors swung open and Ruby was booted out into a pile of snow and dirt. She instantly jumped up to her bare feet and shivered in the cold tundra she found herself in before looking back at where the doors had disappeared. She hugged herself tightly, rubbing her arms for warmth as she looked around for somewhere to go. She had to find the hills. Which meant she had to start moving.

Crud, she wish she had something to wear. Walking barefoot through snow sucked. And this dress was useless in the cold.

But it was still better than wearing heels.

Ruby trekked through the frozen wasteland for a few minutes, feeling her arms go numb while she moved past the trees. Could she get hypno-whatever out here? Could she get it in a dream? If she died in the dream, would she die for real or wake up in bed? Was this all because of the ice cream?

As these important questions ran through her head, the little traveler finally moved past the trees and close to a large ledge that led down the snowy cliff. And at the bottom of the cliff, resting just a bit further in a mix of snow and dirt, were two large round hills.

"Yes!" Ruby cheered triumphantly when she finally found the spot she needed to find to escape. She was one step closer to getting out of this stupid dream.

But they still looked like a pair of-

"Freeze!"

Ruby jumped in fright before shivering and looking back to see two knights in white armor holding their swords toward her. One of them was a female that spoke in a demanding voice, "We demand you tell us who you are and what you are doing here in the property of the Queen's castle."

...

Ruby fell to her knees and hung her head sadly. She whimpered out in a defeated tone, "Whyyyyyyy~?"

The two knights looked between each other curiously as the male leaned down to ask, "Um...are you okay?"

"Nooooooo~!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby let out a content sigh as she was bundled up in a large, warm fur coat that helped bring the sensation back into her arms and fingers. And she was especially happy to be wearing boots again. She looked up and around at her new surroundings, admiring the pure white marble that lined the floor and walls of the castle hall. She looked between the knights, Pyrrha and Sasuke, and nodded to them gratefully, "Thanks for giving me some warm clothes. Any longer and I was probably gonna turn into a Ruby-sicle."

The red-haired knight gave a polite nod, "It's no trouble. But what were you doing out here wearing such light clothing like that? And how could you even get all the way out here without dying from hypnothermia?"

The black-haired knight on her other side looked down at her questioningly, "I'd like to know why you weren't wearing any shoes."

Ruby gave a nervous laugh, "Uh, I-um-I was wearing heels but I threw them away." She didn't get a response from the two older teens and looked up to see the strange and skeptical expressions on their faces. She shook her head, "I-I wasn't planning to come up to the mountains like this! I was-I just-I really, really, really don't like wearing heels! I can't balance on them and they feel weird and I trip over them and-sorry."

"Well, I guess if you have a reason for it then that makes sense. But you should get something better to wear in general before you come up here to the mountains." Sasuke noted as they turned the corner and approached a very tall door, "Our queen advises any and all of her subordinates to make sure to wear warm clothes when traveling through the mountains."

"Your queen?"

"Yes." Pyrrha answered as they approached the door and the two knights each grabbed a latch to pull it open, "The Queen of the snow fields and frozen lakes."

They slowly started to pull the doors open and Ruby watched in silence.

Wait.

Blake was a guide. Tenten was a hermit. Ren and Kiba were Nora's knights. Naruto and Jaune were very weird guys. And Pyrrha and Sasuke were knights to this queen. Of all the people she met on a usual daily basis, that meant this was either her sister, or...

The doors finally laid open to reveal the queen's throne room and court, all in white and glistening like ice. In the tall throne was a beautiful young woman with long white hair and a crown on her head. She wore an elegant white dress and crossed her long legs over as she narrowed her eyes down at her new quest, "So what were you doing trespassing on the royal family's property without shoes and in a skirt, you buffoon?"

Yep. It's Weiss.

Sasuke and Pyrrha stepped up to the throne and lowered their heads respectfully to their monarch. The black-haired male spoke first, "My queen, she says that she isn't wearing any shoes because she threw away the heels she had before coming here."

"She threw away her shoes before coming up to the freezing weather and walking through the snow on a mountain?" The Queen inquired before looking at the girl in question and sarcastically noting, "I hope you weren't just trying to show how tough you were on a bet coming all the way up here."

Ruby quietly answered, "I wasn't."

"My queen." Pyrrha looked up at the royal heir, "She had nothing on her except the clothes on her back. She said she wasn't planning to come up here to the mountains or the forest in the first place. So we doubt she came here to bring harm of any kind to you or the kingdom."

"I'll be the judge of that." The icy queen leaned back into her throne and looked down at the red and black-haired girl, "So...why are you here? I want you to look me directly in the eyes and tell me...don't lie. I can tell if you do."

Ruby felt the pressure from Weiss' eyes fall squarely on her and sent a cold shiver through her back.

It was almost as bad as the real Weiss'.

Except this one didn't know her as well so she couldn't break her down piece by piece.

"Well Wei-your majesty!" Ruby caught her fault before anyone could correct her, "I just sorta came here-well actually I appeared here because my friends-t-they look like my friends but they're different people so..." Ruby thought really hard about the best thing to say, "Okay, one of them was a guy with big fluffy ears and the other one had a hat and they-"

"Don't!" Ruby yelped when the queen's booming voice interrupted her explanation. The queen leaned back into her chair and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She muttered in an exhausted tone, "I should've known it was those two."

Ruby titled her head, "Huh?"

Sasuke leaned down to whisper to her, "The Queen has a lot of bad experiences with those two. The man you were talking about, the one with the fluffy ears, is notorious for pranking and wrecking havoc around the kingdom. Putting itching powder in the throne. Sand in the pillows. Peeing on the floor in front of the guard station so people slip on it. He's been sentenced to life in the dungeon."

"And the other one?"

"He's hit on and given many cute little nicknames to The Queen in an effort to ask her out on a date." The redhead whispered on the other side, "He's been sentenced to 12 life sentences in the dungeon."

Oh Jaune.

The queen moaned, "Ugh...can this get any worse?"

"Your highness!"

Another knight came running into the court and stood near the throne to tell the queen something important, "We've just received a message from the Queen of Hearts!"

"What?" Weiss sat up in her seat, "What does that dunderhead want?"

"The message reads, 'Heya Icy! I'm bored! Me and my guys are coming over so why don't we have a fight! See ya soon! Prepare snacks! Bye!' She's-um-she's approaching from past the horizon, your majesty."

"Ahhhhh!" Weiss yelled into her hands with pure annoyance at how she had to deal with all these troublesome occurrences in succession. She stood out of her throne, "Get ready for a fight! If that fool wishes to come and 'play' then we shall show her what she's coming against! Ready the Dust! Deploy Sentries! Lock down the kingdom! No one gets in or out until we need to! That includes you intruder...where did she go?"

Pyrrha and Sasuke looked down to see the girl had vanished from their side. They looked over to see the throne room doors swinging open and faint footsteps running down the halls.

"She's certainly fast."

"Indeed."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Hill! Hill! Hill! Hill! Hill!" Ruby cheered to herself as she sprinted out of the kingdom walls and through the forest! No more! No more weird versions of her friends! No more strange landscapes or teleporting! No more craziness!

***Rumble***

And no more earthquakes! She was waking up!

Ruby finally passed the tree line and returned to the edge of a steep cliff that ended with the hills she needed to escape to. Without a second thought she ran down the steep hill and cliff straight to the twin peaks. She stumbled over some rocks and tripped, tumbling down the cold mud and snow before catching her feet and gaining some speed again.

Once she reached the curve of the ground she slowed down until she came to a halt. She was panting and watched as her breath turned white in the chilly air as she stared up at the two hill formation. With a steel resolve, she jumped up to the hills and started climbing them all the way to the top. She continued up and up until she reached the top of the two peaks and looked out at the colorful surroundings around her. She stood there for a full minute and nothing happened.

"Come on!" She jumped on the hill several times and shrieked in a peeved tone, "I made it! I want out! Do something! Come on!"

The hills suddenly shook and Ruby tumbled down to the bottom. She rubbed her head and watched as the surrounding dirt and earth started to crack and rise. The ground started shaking and breaking far more vigorously than anything she had seen before as something starting rising out from below. Ruby stumbled and ran towards the edge of the cracking rock to watch as a titanic figure started to rise from up.

Ruby grabbed the figure and watched as it finally stood out from beneath the ground. She climbed up its side before finally finding a stable platform on its shoulder. It stood nearly as high as the mountain the kingdom stood on and Ruby could see everything in the horizon from there. Ruby gave a small smile before she looked at the titan's face.

Who better to save her from a place like this than her sister?

The giant Yang looked at her little sister standing on her shoulder and smiled. The giant blonde started walking along the landscape and they cleared huge distances in a matter of moments. Ruby looked down from her position on Yang's shoulder and spotted the two 'hills' that had brought her here in the first place sway with every step.

Why did it have to be her boobs? Was this a subconscious thing? Did she need therapy?

"Hey! You made it!"

Ruby blinked in surprise and looked out to the side to see a bike flying towards them secured to a parachute. Riding in the seats were the dream versions of Jaune and Naruto, with Tenten sitting on the handlebars and Blake sitting in Naruto's lap. The wind pressure and noise from each of Yang's steps made it hard to communicate with the quartet, "What are you guys doing here?!"

"We spotted the giant woman walking over the forest and had to come see for ourselves!" The scraggly man said as his hat flew off his head and he yelled, "Do you think she would like to join us for dinner?!"

Tenten looked back at the Capper and laughed, "There's no way the dining room would fit her!"

"It's worth a shot!"

Ruby had a small scowl as she glared at the guys that dropped her off in the middle of the mountains, "Why didn't you say you were throwing me out into the snow?! I was freezing!"

The whiskered man yelled back, "We thought you could handle it! You seem strong!"

The cat girl turned to glare at him accusingly, "You just forgot to warn her, didn't you?"

"But we also had faith!"

Ruby furrowed her brow in an annoyed scowl at the two blondes. She was about to chew them out before she noticed something appearing over the horizon and approaching their position. She squinted her eyes to try and get a better view of the approaching wave, "I think that's Nora's army! Woah, they're...huh?"

Ruby went silent when she noticed another army approaching from another side. And then another. More than she thought were going to show up for the fight between Weiss and Nora. She blinked, "W-wait I thought it was just between them?"

"No." Blake answered with a solemn shake of her head. She looked out at all the gathering armies, "There are more than just the kingdoms willing to spill and take blood."

Monks in faded white garbs.

Knights in desecrated and rusted armor.

Figures that appeared as if they were living shadows.

And several people standing on a hill, waiting for the carnage to begin.

"I-I don't-"

***Rumble***

The ground shook once more and everyone on the ground felt the dirt rip up and turn beneath them. Titan Yang stumbled and struggled to stay on her feet as Ruby hung on for dear life. She looked down and saw the rock and brimstone tear apart beneath them in a panic, "W-what's going on?!"

Tenten: "We told you."

Jaune: "They're restless down below."

Naruto: "But it's okay now."

Blake: "They're awake."

The rock and earth exploded, releasing a thick dark mass straight into the sky that enveloped everything. The sky. The clouds. The sun. All pitch black.

"Y-Yang!" Ruby was suddenly falling through the darkness and looked around desperately for anything. Her sister! Her friends! Anyone! They weren't there!

Ruby turned through the air, falling further and further into the unending darkness, and finally spotted someone close to her.

But her eyes widened in horror.

Glowing red.

Flames dancing to her fingers.

The woman that helped Torchwick escape the night of the robbery.

The woman draped in fire.

The figure opened her piercing eyes and Ruby heard a small, cold laughter fill her ears.

Before fire engulfed her and everything turned black.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

***BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP***

"I'm first."

Blake groggily yawned out as she forced herself out of bed and rubbed her eyes while making way for the bathroom. In a room with three other girls, if you wanted the bathroom first, you had to move for it. Which was why she was going for it immediately after the alarm went off.

Early to rise, something about worms.

Too early to think coherently.

As the black-motif girl walked into the bathroom, her partner and teammate slowly started to rise out of their beds to turn off the alarm. Weiss aimed a cold glare at the alarm clock by her bed and firmly slammed the button to turn off the alarm completely.

She wish she could go back a few months and slap herself for buying this thing in the first place. Total assurance that she would wake up and not miss classes?

It was a good idea but what was she thinking?

The ivory-haired girl sat out of her bed and stretched her arms out with a peaceful yawn. She rubbed her eyes, "Is the bathroom taken?"

"Blake. First." Yang mumbled into her pillow as she barely lifted her head, letting the massive clump of unkempt blonde hair wiggle around on top of her head. She yawned again, "Too. Quick. Need. Coffee."

"I'll make some." Weiss stood out of her bed and prepared for the hardest job on Team RWBY. Waking Ruby up on time. She looked up to the bed over her head, "Ruby, it's time wake-huh? Ruby?"

Yang jumped down to the floor and rubbed the sand out of her eyes, "What's wrong? What happened to the coffee?"

"Yang, does this happen normally?"

Yang blinked her eyes a few times before following Weiss' gaze to the upper bed. She looked on with surprise to see her sister not only awake, but sitting straight up in her bed and staring forward silently. She had deep bags under her eyes so she didn't look like she slept very well.

Weiss and Yang looked between each other in worry before Weiss spoke up, "Ruby? Is something wrong? Is there a reason you're just staring at the wall like a statue?"

The young leader looked down to her side to see her partner call up to her and jerked back, "AH! ICE QUEEN!"

Weiss reeled back, "I-Ice Queen?"

"AH!"

"OOF!" Ruby dove off her bed and directly into Yang's chest, knocking them both down into the floor as the little sister buried her face into the blonde's chest. She mumbled into the pair of boobs, "Save me, Cl-Ava-G!"

...

Weiss crossed her arms confidently and looked down at the blonde with a smug smile as she comforted her terrified sister, "You know what, I'm so happy I'm not even going to say I told you so."

Yang grumbled, "You just did."

Weiss playfully shrugged, "Oops. Old habits."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**I'm not totally sure why I came back to this so soon. I was drawing a blank writing on Hunter so I just thought I'd blow some steam typing on this. Next thing I know I'm a few thousand words deep. Then I found out RWBY was premiering on the 24th and I felt a burning desire to finish the chapter.**_

_**Now as I said at the top, Buffy was something I just finished watching for the first time recently. And I based this chapter off one of its episode. Season 4 finale, 'Restless'. For those of you that know the series, you know what that means. For those that don't...**_

_**I attempted my hand at symbolism and foreshadowing(like I don't try to do this enough as is). Some of my ideas I planned for this story may or may not actually happen, depending if I can make them work. But I might as well try. Also this is the first chapter that no members from JNPR and NKTS showed up(physically anyway).**_

_**The other reason I wrote this chapter was to make the next few chapters more rounded in the countdown. I want to try and make five chapter arcs that help break the series up a little better.**_

_**Chapters 1-5: Welcoming Beacon**_

_**Trailers and Monty notice as a total of five**_

_**Chapters 6-10: Adjusting to Beacon**_

_**Chapters 11-15: Thieves No More**_

_**Chapters 16-20: Day to Day Hunter**_

_**Hopefully I can keep to the five chapter arc idea for the foreseeable future.**_

_**But anyway, back to Hunter!**_

_**And remember to keep sending in your team and ship names for me! Any names you can think of for the teams, just put them in the review and send them my way! You guys have some great ideas so far!**_

_**Also, before anyone writes, yes, I spelled hypothermia wrong. Because I doubt Ruby actually knows a word like hypothermia in her regular dictionary.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	23. With Just a Wave

Hunting or Bust

Dust 18: With Just a Wave

Short chapter.

Bad news: This arc won't have a lot of fight scenes.

Good news(if you like them): This arc revolves mostly on character interaction and opening up. And I'm getting through with more of Hunter. I was just excited about the release and wanted to get this out. I swear. I swear to god I'm finishing it. Please believe me. I want to please you.

Better news(for all): The next several arcs will have a lot of fighting! And moments between people! Hopefully!

Greatest news(for some): YANG RULES ALL! AND VOL.3 IS AMAZING!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Now, when Amity Colosseum was first constructed, it was originally designed to adapt and change whenever it was necessary. Of course 80 years ago the technology was not quite powerful enough to create a field like that for fighting. Despite this, the stadium was forged with the most durable metal and the spectator seats were assured to protect the audience from even the most blindingly powerful attacks. Which meant that the competitors could, as you say, 'go all out' and not worry about hurting anyone. Fortunately, with the discovery of the Schnee Dust Company and the streamlined advancement of Dust in our modern technology, as well as constant upkeep and upgrades by the best engineers and technicians imaginable, the adaptable fields were finally utilized into the Biomes we know today. Capable of changing the environment or terrain of the battlefield at a moment's notice."

That was still one of the most outstanding sights she had ever seen when the Biome field first changed in front of her. Well, technically it was on a television screen, but it was still amazing. She still remembered when she was a little girl, looking up at the television during the 33rd Biannual Vytal Festival and seeing a white-haired Huntsman dash around the stadium field and defeat his opponents in an instant. It was at that moment that she realized she wanted to do something just like that.

Become a Huntress.

Oobleck stepped around the desk at the front of the history class and looked out at his students, "Now, can anyone tell me which kingdom's advancement made it possible for Amity Colosseum to traverse between the kingdoms?"

Vale. That was a very simple question. Atlas created the spectator seats. Mistral formed the actual battlefield and its foundation. Vacuo used its natural resources to forge a linking system that connected the pieces together. And Vale, with its large supply of natural Dust deposits, offered the tail that could keep the stadium afloat for a near indefinite amount of time.

She-u-um-s-she should...s-she decided to keep her hand down. S-someone else probably knew the answer. She didn't need to answer.

"Anyone? Anyone know? This is not a trick question." The green-haired hyperactive scholar looked around rapidly before he just sighed. He looked up the rows, "Mr. Winchester, do you think you know the answer?"

"Probably not. Ugh...I don't know. Vacuo?"

That...that wasn't right.

Oobleck shook his head, "No, Mr. Winchester, but it was a close guess. Anyone else? Ms. Nikos?"

"It was Vale that offered the technology that could let the stadium travel between the kingdoms."

"That is correct! Vale's strides in Dust utilization were revolutionary at the end of the Great War." The energetic teacher walked back to his blackboard, covered in notes and maps of Remnant, and found some empty space to write on. He started writing in chalk, "Now, I want you all to spend that last half of class summarizing why the kingdoms decided to negotiate peace terms on Vytal and how they created the Vytal Festival in the first place."

Someone from the back of the class questioned, "Can we work in groups?"

"You may if you want, but no more than two. I expect at least a page long paragraph before the bell rings."

The students started to file out of their seats and pair up with their friends. In a moment the quiet room turned into a bustling center of talk between the students. She silently took out a piece of paper and started writing her name and date.

She should ask someone to pair with her. Meet new people.

That's what Coco and Yatsuhashi always told her.

Well...Coco actually said that. Yatsuhashi just sort of stood there and nodded silently.

She...she didn't need to bother anyone.

No one would ask her to join anyway. She just needed to-

"Uhh...hello?"

Velvet sat up in her seat and blinked in surprise before looking up at the person that traveled down to her seat. She looked up in silence at the whiskered boy with the purple bandana over his head as he gave a small smile and waved at her, "Hi."

The rabbit Faunus just looked up at him in silent awe that she didn't even realize she still hadn't responded. He blinked, feeling the tension of the awkward silence before the girl finally noticed she was being addressed. She flinched in her seat and tried to draw attention away from the long silence as she turned to face the boy with a stutter, "H-hello."

The whiskered teen smiled at finally getting a response from the girl and stood up straight. He held up his notebook for her to see, "Do you mind if we work together? I don't have anyone else to work with and I could use the help."

Velvet blinked in surprise as the bandana-wearing boy walked behind her to take a seat at her side. She seemed to struggle with words as he casually plopped down in the seat and started opening his notebook to an empty page. The whiskered boy noticed the girl still looking at him and remembered that he had not introduced himself yet. He held out his hand and smiled, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki by the way. What's your name?"

Velvet looked down at his hand and steeled her nerves. She gently reached up and held his hand, "I-I'm Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina."

Naruto nodded to the rabbit Faunus, "It's nice to meet you Velvet." He clapped his hands together and looked down at the empty paper in front of him, "Now! Vytal and the Festival. What the heck are we gonna write about that?"

Velvet tried to speak up, "U-um-"

"I remember there was something about Vytal being like a midway point between the kingdoms or whatever." The blond scratched his head, a frustrated groan escaping from his lips as he tried to remember where he read that from, "It was in-um-it was...crud. Tenten and Kiba gave me so many books to read I can't remember what's from which book anymore."

She tried even harder, "E-excuse me-"

"Oh well. Not like I actually need to remember the book anyway. Just the crap inside." Naruto muttered to himself as he leaned forward in his seat and glared at his paper and pencil, "C'mon. C'mon think. Thinnnnnnnnnnnk."

"E-excuse me."

Velvet's voice finally reached an octave loud enough to get the whiskered boy's attention. He looked over at her and the brunette Faunus suddenly felt extremely self-conscious again. She mumbled out, "W-why...why did you come to work with me?"

Naruto thought he understood why she was asking and responded honestly. He pointed over his shoulder to the seats he had come from, "Well, the thing is that I usually work with and sit with my friend in this class. We're not exactly the best students-well actually we're not even good students-but it's still fun working with him. But this time he asked if I could do it myself because he wanted to try working with someone else. I said yeah and wished him luck but considering who he's asking-"

"Hey Snowflake~, wanna-"

"No."

"-it won't end well for him." Naruto looked the girl in the eyes, making her nervous and a little uncomfortable with his straightforward engagement, "I really don't like working alone and I saw you sitting up here by yourself. So I thought it'd be cool if we worked together."

Velvet was silent for a moment before quietly asking again, "B-but why would you want to work with me?"

Naruto just stared at her blankly. He asked in return, "Why wouldn't I want to work with you?"

Velvet was so surprised by his answer that she stayed silent for a few moments just looking at him. That response was so foreign and unexpected to her that she couldn't imagine anything to say and just looked back down at her paper.

Naruto shrugged and guessed that was the end of the conversation as he looked back at his paper.

The Faunus girl decided to drop the subject as well but this was still a very foreign situation for her. W-what was she supposed to do now? Strike up a conversation? That seemed like something a pair of normal people would do when working together.

Now...what to talk about. What would Coco say? Or Fox? Or Yatsuhashi? Well the latter two probably wouldn't strike up a conversation at all. They weren't timid like her they were just...they liked to keep to themselves. Coco on the other hand was brimming with confidence and very extroverted.

What would she say?

Velvet panicked and said the first thing that came to mind, "That's-um-that's a nice...pencil you are writing with."

Naruto blinked and looked down at his pencil before gratefully nodding, "Oh...thanks."

...

Pencil? Really? Velvet blushed a little and covered her face with shame and embarrassment. She was dumb. Stupid and dumb. She lowered her head in defeat, her ears lowering as well as she just decided to write something down to occupy her thoughts.

"Woah. You are really good at this."

Velvet looked up from her paper and saw Naruto look down at her paper with intrigue. She looked down as well and saw that she had started her second paragraph after just a few minutes of writing, "Really?"

"Yeah!" Naruto enthusiastically agreed, "You already finished-like-six sentences! That's awesome! I'm..." Naruto looked down at the paper he had unconsciously turned over and started doodling on. He flipped it back over and remained cool, "I'm coming along. But seriously, you're really good with this stuff."

"N-not really." Velvet refuted with a small shake of her head, "I probably only memorized it from the books and notes Dr. Oobleck wrote on the board. It's not really that impressive."

"It totally is!" Naruto countered, "This is so much stuff to take in and you learn it all really well." The blond gave a small smile and sighed, "I know me and a few of my friends wish we were as good with this stuff as you."

Velvet's ears lifted up a little, "R-really?"

"Yeah. It goes with the other papers you turn in too, right?" The Faunus girl looked at him in confusion as he continued, "Well I'm not all that smart so it takes me longer to finish this stuff before turning it in. But you usually wait till everyone else turns their papers in first. And when I walk by I see you've got a full page of stuff already done. I bet you're really smart."

Velvet had an astonished look on her face at his observation of her habits in class before she looked confused. She asked, "Why would you notice that?"

Naruto shrugged, "Don't know. I remember saying hi to you on our first day and I never said anything again after that. I thought you didn't like me or something after that and I wanted to make up for that." The whiskered boy gave a nervous smile, "That's actually another reason I came over to work with you."

...

"I..." Velvet's voice merely came out in a whisper and she hesitantly continued, "I didn't think you remembered. Most people...don't bother reaching out to me like that."

"Ah, come on. Why..." Naruto's eyes lingered up as her ears lowered a bit dejectedly. His mouth closed for a moment and he looked back at Velvet to see her looking down at the table and away from his eyes. His throat closed up for a bit as he realized why she'd think that.

He'd...

...

"Well then screw 'em. Their loss." Naruto cheerfully stated as he nudged the Faunus' shoulder and aimed a big grin towards her, "If they can't be cool enough to talk to you then it's a good thing I am! Because you seem like a cool person Velvet."

Velvet blinked a few times at Naruto's attempt to cheer her up from her momentary lapse into her gloomy thoughts. She was certain he knew why some people didn't want to talk with her but he didn't bring attention to it. He didn't even seem to want to address it. That some people still aren't comfortable around Faunus. And she wasn't entirely comfortable around those people as well.

In fact, she wasn't entirely comfortable around him either.

But he genuinely wanted to talk with her and address her eye-to-eye. She couldn't remember the last person she met in a class except for Coco and the others that did that.

She gave a small, unsure smile to the energetic boy seated beside her and he seemed even happier that she cheered up. She gave a slight nod of her head and quietly spoke, "Thank you."

He beamed a smile, "You're welcome."

"Five more minutes everyone!"

Naruto's eyes suddenly widened in horror as he realized that they had been talking the whole time and class was almost over. He panicked, "Oh crap! We still haven't done anything yet! Oh crap!"

"I-I'm done."

"This always happens when-what?" Naruto looked at the brunette in confusion before looking down at her paper to see a full page of text written down explaining the topic of the class. His eyes widened to the size of plates as he looked between Velvet and her paper in rapid succession. D-did she keep writing while they were talking?

Naruto blanked, "Velvet?"

She noticed the dull tone in his voice, "Y-yes?"

"Are you a wizard?"

"What?"

"Nothing." He shook his head and returned to normal, "That's so cool Velvet. I knew you were smart."

"I-I'm not all that smart actually. Just a few techniques I learned to help remember this material." She stopped for a moment and wanted to thank the whiskered boy for talking with her. So with a little nervousness laced in her voice and hesitation in her movement, she offered him the paper, "Should I write your name on here too so we can turn it in together?"

Naruto brightened up and smiled, "Really? Thanks Velvet! That's..." Naruto's smile immediately fell and a very conflicted expression came over his face. He sucked on the insides of his cheeks and turned his head to palm his face. For a few moments he just stayed like this, internally struggling with a terrible matter in his head as the bunny girl looked on in confusion.

She asked, "Are you okay?"

"No." He held his hand out and pushed the paper back, startling Velvet as he seemed to hold back a sob, "That's really nice of you to offer Velvet, but I'd be taking credit for all your work if I did that. And as tempting as it is-so, so, so very tempting-I just can't bring myself to do that. That can be your paper. I'll turn in my own." He seemed to look up bravely as if he had just made some huge heroic sacrifice for the world, "Even if it fails, I'll turn in my own paper."

Velvet looked at him strangely, confused by his dramatic way of saying he wasn't going to use her work. But also felt a small bit of appreciation that he didn't take advantage of her work and her trouble with stating that problem. She had a small smile, "That's...really nice of you Naruto."

"Also if I did and my team found out, they'd probably kill me."

"O-oh."

"Okay." Naruto took a very deep breath before opening his eyes and immediately slamming his pencil down on the paper. His hand started to speed across the paper as fast as he could make it and he filled line after line with facts he tried to remember on the subject. The team leader of NKTS smiled in triumph as he continued, "Yes. Yes! I'm losing the sensation in my hand but yes!"

Velvet watched with amazement as Naruto filled up a paragraph in just a minute and was already starting on his second one, "That's very impressive Naruto."

The blond continued focusing on the paper but he smiled proudly, "Yeah. I do my best work at the last minute."

Velvet quietly mentioned, "But your handwriting is...not very good."

"Can't change that. Tried but failed."

Velvet watched as her new associate continued scribbling over the page without her help. She felt bad just watching him struggle like this but couldn't think of a way to help. She looked down at her notebook and flipped through a few pages before something clicked.

"Naruto, would you like some help?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby and Jaune were walking back through the hall from the cafeteria after they noticed Naruto was missing from the group. The two rounded the corner and the tall blond looked around in vain, "What do you think Naruto's doing?"

Ruby shook her head, "I don't know. I saw him in History class and he was talking with someone but he didn't come out." The hooded-girl cupped her chin in thought as they kept walking, "He's probably still there doing something."

Jaune paled a little, "The last time something like this was happening, we ended up starting a small war with a crime lord. Y-You don't think that's gonna happen again, do you?"

"No. Well probably not." Ruby's uncertainty didn't encourage any comfort in the older boy before her face went pale and her eyes became hollow, "B-but what if it isn't anything like that. What if Professor Oobleck kept him back because he wanted to talk about his bad grades?"

Jaune looked down at her strangely, "Is that a bad thing?"

"We're not doing much better than Naruto is in class!" Ruby panicked and shrieked before her eyes started shaking in fear, "What if we get called next and told our grades are bad?! W-what's Weiss gonna say when she finds out?! She's gonna be so mad!"

"C-calm down Ruby." Jaune tried to temper his friend's breakdown, "I-it's probably not as bad as you think. Maybe."

Ruby started whimpering, "Ufhhhhhhhhhh~."

As the two leaders continued down the hall they finally looked up and saw Naruto walking out of the class and talking with another girl. Ruby called out desperately, "Naruto!"

Velvet flinched in fright and stepped back as Naruto looked up to see his two friends. He waved to them, "Hey guys! What's up?"

Ruby dashed up to him and looked up at him in pure, unbridled panic, "What's wrong?! What did the professor have to say about your grades?! Am I next?!"

"Um, what? are you talking about?" Naruto asked blankly at the younger girl's fright.

"..." Ruby blinked a few times before calming down and stepping back from the bandana-wearing boy. She meekly muttered, "N-never mind."

"Uhhhh-anyway, I was just staying back because Velvet was helping me out with a few notes."

Ruby and Jaune looked over at the rabbit girl that was standing a step behind Naruto and trying to keep herself away from their sight. This failed miserably as Ruby stepped to the side and waved at the Faunus, "Hi there. I'm Naruto's friend, Ruby. It's nice to meet you."

The rabbit seemed frozen like she was caught in the headlights before she gave a small nod back, "I-I'm Velvet."

Velvet! That's her name! Now she knows what to scream in case that stupid dream ever happens again.

Jaune faux-suavely slid over to that side as well and greeted the new girl, "Hey there, the name's Jaune Arc. And it is a pleasure to-"

"Jaune."

"Hmm?" He looked over to see Naruto giving him a skeptical raise of the brow. Jaune gave a small, nervous chuckle, "Y-yeah, tried to make a good impression. Hi, I'm Jaune."

Velvet still seemed very reluctant and nervous around them but Naruto luckily intervened and got their attention. He opened up his notebook and showed them what he had written down, "Look at this! Velvet taught me some good tips and easy ways to remember the stuff Oobleck says! It's awesome!"

Ruby grabbed the notebook and held it out for both her and Jaune to look out. They squinted their eyes and Ruby asked, "Why is there a long plus sign in your history notes?"

Naruto smiled inched down a little, "That's a t."

Jaune tilted his head, "Naruto, is it okay to draw a wall with a long-um-'leg' like that?"

His smile turned into a flat line, "That's an h."

Ruby's eyes twirled around, "And why did you draw a swirl?"

Naruto frowned, "That's an e. You just read the word 'the'."

"But then why is that-"

"You know what!" Naruto had an embarrassed hue on his face as he snatched his notebook back, "All that matters is that I can read it! And I bet it could help you guys too if you learned it. Ruby you won't need to worry about Weiss being on your case anymore."

Ruby beamed, "Really!"

"And Jaune you won't..." Naruto paused for a moment and scratched his bandana, "Actually Jaune you don't have any mean people on your team. Your team is really nice. Lucky jerk." Jaune hung his head sadly at Naruto's jab before he continued, "But Velvet is really smart and knows the best ways to learn this stuff."

"She does?" Ruby asked hopefully and dashed at Velvet, startling the bunny girl as she got up in her personal space and asked, "Velvet, can you teach me how to study too? I really need help make sure Weiss doesn't stare angrily at me anymore!"

"U-um." Velvet hesitated and looked around awkwardly before meeting the silver, hopeful eyes of Ruby looking up at her. She steeled herself and tried to give a response, "I-I can try showing you some helpful methods, but I can't tutor you. I don't have a very steady schedule to help anyone since I'll be training for missions soon."

Ruby, Jaune, and Naruto all looked at her strangely as the youngest girl stepped back from her. Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Huh? But we don't go off on missions during our first year."

Velvet blinked in realization, "Oh, you think I'm a first-year?" She looked between them all and shook her head, "N-no, I'm a second-year. I'm a sophomore here."

...

Jaune asked in surprise, "You're an upperclassman?"

Velvet nodded, "Yes."

Ruby's voice was filled with barely contained amazement, "Y-you're going on missions with your team soon?"

She nodded again, "That's right."

Naruto was the most confused as he asked, "Wait. Then why are you in class with us?"

Velvet held her notebook with both hands, "Well if you're planning to take up a profession while you're also a Hunter, you need to take extra classes and prepare for tests in the future. I want to try and get my doctorate in historical studies after I'm done at Beacon so if I want to get it faster, I'm preparing by taking extra classes in school."

...

Velvet asked, "What?"

An upperclassman going out on missions, applying for advanced learning, and also helping them learn better ways to study?

Ruby moaned, "You're awesome."

"Huh?"

Jaune nodded, "That's so cool."

Naruto smiled in amazement, "That's amazing Velvet! I knew you were cool but holy crap that's crazy!"

Velvet humbly shook her head, "I-it's not really that special."

"But you're already becoming a Huntress! And doing a bunch of other stuff too!" Ruby noted as she looked up at the older brunette with admiration, "You're doing what we always wanted to do! And that's so cool!"

***Beep***

Ruby felt her pocket vibrate and immediately calmed down to look at the text she received. She gulped, "Uh oh. Weiss and the others are asking where we went. We have 1 minute before Yang starts sending us pictures of Weiss' angry glare to scare us!"

Jaune flinched, "Oh no."

"Oh crap. Let's go!" The three first-years reeled back and started sprinting down the hallway to meet up with their teams in the cafeteria. Naruto slowed down for a moment to look back at the sophomore they had accidentally left behind and happily called out, "See ya later Velvet! I'll talk with you next class, okay!"

Jaune called out, "It was nice meeting you!"

Ruby waved back to her, "Bye Velvet! Please, please, please tell me about your missions when you come back! We can have snacks when you do! Bye!"

Velvet stood there for a moment before absentmindedly waving goodbye to the girl in return. After the three first-years rounded the corner out of her sight, she remained standing there with her hand up to wave them goodbye. She looked down at her hand and could only question herself silently...

Who the heck were those people?

And why didn't she feel so nervous around them?

"Velvet!"

The Faunus girl turned around to see her team leader walk up behind her with her other two teammates following close behind.

The tallest member of their group looked down at her with mild concern, "We were worried. You are not usually late to meet up after classes finish."

Fox hiked a thumb towards Yatsuhashi, "He was worried. We were sure you were okay. Nevertheless we wanted to come check it was okay."

Velvet nodded with a small turn in the corner of her lips, "Oh, it's fine. Everything's good."

Coco hummed and lowered the rim of her glasses a little as she eyed Velvet up and down. She droned, "What happened during class?"

"Huh?"

"I said what happened? You aren't usually this chipper once history finishes." Coco crossed her arms, probably already making her suspicions but asking anyway, "Did something good happen?"

"Um, no, not really." A small smile betrayed Velvet's neutrality, "It was just a nice class today is all."

"Did you flirt with a guy or something?"

Velvet slumped, "No. I didn't. Please stop suggesting that."

"Stop lying and I will."

**((((((((CONGRATULATIONS AND STREAMERS))))))))**

Team NKTS, JNPR, and RWB sat at the waiting table anxiously as time passed by slow. Every sound of the ticking clock was an excruciating reminder that they still didn't know anything. Ruby's legs bounced up and down with worry that her sister might-

The doors to the waiting room swung open and everyone looked over to see Yang confidently stroll in with a pair of aviators over her eyes and a steady stream of blood down her face and arm. She stood in front of all her friends and tipped her glasses to them, "Nailed it."

"WOOOHOOO!" Ruby cheered as she jumped out of her chair and nearly tackled her sister with a tight hug. Ruby was almost crying, "I knew you could do it!"

"Woah. Okay, calm down little sis." Yang flinched and patted her sister's head, "I won but a few of my ribs probably aren't in the right place."

Pyrrha: "That was a splendid battle Yang!"

Kiba: "That was freakin' awesome!"

Tenten: "You didn't need to destroy her weapons too!"

Yang felt the attention go straight to her head and acted very haughty about it, "Thank you. Thank you. You're all too kind. I love you too. Please get in a line so I can start signing your autographs."

Blake rolled her eyes, "Don't let it get to your head so fast." The black-haired girl then showed a small smile of relief to her partner, "I'm glad you made it out of there okay."

Yang grinned proudly, "No worries. I had it."

"We noticed." Weiss crossed her arms and asked with a skeptical tone, "Was it really necessary to break her neck like that?"

Yang shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Plus it worked out for that guy in the blue and red tights awhile back."

"Uhh...no. No it did not." Weiss corrected, "Nothing ever works out for that guy. He wins a fight and everyone loses their minds. You know that."

"Whatever." Yang was just too high off her victory to be brought down by Weiss' facts, "I win! Proving that I am the best!"

"Pfft."

The eleven teens looked over to see Naruto still seated at the table, staring off in front of him with a grouchy expression. The whiskered blond scoffed again and derided the girl's victory, "Please. Everyone already knows that these fights aren't for real. They're popularity contests. In the end they're biased and we know it. This isn't about stats. Or abilities. It's about who gets the most counts. And who the developers love the most. They decide who they want to win and then add bullshit mathematics and calculations to the end of it to justify. I mean really! Punched through concrete pillars! Lifted a nuclear mech over his head and threw it! Punched the goddamn moon out of orbit! Heard a sonar through space! It's called artistic license and Rule of Cool! Do you think animators and storyboard writers actually sit down, bring in scientific experts in dozens of different fields, and try to justify the actions of their characters with proof?! NO! They do that stuff because they want to make their characters cool! And people take it at face value and try to prove it however they want! This whole idea is stupid and a waste of time!"

...

...

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Are you still mad because that stretchy guy beat you?"

"HE DIDN'T BEAT ME!" Naruto shrieked and started babbling, "H-he just-they didn't even show me using-I-I mean I can-well only towards the end-s-sixty seconds isn't even a real-shut up!" Naruto poked his own chest desperately, "I'm super strong by the end of the show! Everyone says I'm a god! They made formulas and stuff!"

Kiba skeptically pointed out, "Didn't you just say those calculations are bullshit because it's just artistic license and Rule of Cool?"

"..." Naruto was silenced by the quick reverse of what he said before he just tried to gain some face again, "I beat Yang a few chapters back."

Tenten noted, "Yeah but this is Yang Post-Volume 2. We're not even through Volume 1 yet."

Jaune deflated in horror, "Oh god. And it's felt like years already! Are we gonna be stuck like this forever?"

"Yep. Get ready buddy. You're gonna be the second Knight put on hold for eternity around here."

"Oh, I forgot." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles and smirked, "Wanna go another round? I'm backed by science now, bitch."

"W-whatever!" Naruto retorted, "You haven't even seen my full power because I still haven't shown you guys my Semblance yet!"

Ruby pouted and put her hands on her hips, "And we keep saying we want to see it. So why won't you show it?"

Naruto's smile faltered and he looked aside meekly, "I-I can! I just don't want to yet."

"Booooooo~."

"Listen up Whiskers because here's the truth." Yang stepped forward proudly, completely forgetting her severe head trauma to assert dominance in the friend circle, "If we fought again now and you didn't go all out, you'd probably lose. You know it. I know it. The boss knows it. In fact we all know it because if that wasn't true, the boss wouldn't have written this segment at all."

The teens all looked aside at the screen.

At you.

Yes you.

They're looking at you right now for confirmation.

Naruto grumbled, "Whatever."

"Okay, that's enough arguing!" Ruby stepped in front of the group and cheered, "To celebrate Yang's victory let's all go out for ice cream!"

"Yay!"

The group left to get their treat and Naruto stayed standing by the table. He plopped down in his seat again and pouted with disappointment.

The doors to the waiting room opened again and Tifa Lockheart walked in while rubbing her neck. She took the seat by Naruto and gave a quick hiss of discomfort, "Man, and here I thought Sephiroth was tough."

Naruto looked aside at the other brawler and decided to congratulate her on her effort, "It was a good battle. You did great out there Happy."

"I'm Tifa."

"Right sorry. The voice threw me off. But then again that's a different story. And I different localization-you know what this whole thing is screwy."

The brunette sat back in her seat and joked, "Geez. Blondie's friends are just as weird as her, huh?"

Naruto didn't quite appreciate the jab and decided to jab back a little harder, "You know I beat Yang. Technically that makes me stronger than you." He smiled smugly at his-

***BAM***

Naruto's face was quickly smashed into the table until it broke in half and he laid on the ground in a heap. Tifa stood up and walked away while easing the crick in her neck, "Yep. I guess technically you are."

...

"Ugh." Naruto mumbled into the table debris and ground, "I hate this. I really, really hate this."

**K.O.**

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**So, after thinking it over and seeing the extent of Yang's abilities broken down by Wiz and Boomstick, I reached a conclusion.**_

_**If I made Naruto face Yang with just strength and brawling, he might not have won. But the manner I chose to have them fight, with Naruto not going for dealing tons of damage but knock her supplies down as steadily and precise as possible, is actually sorta reminiscent of how Neo pulled through in their fight. So...**_

_**I did good! Yay! **_

_**In related news, RWBY VOLUME 3! THE ANIMATION IS SO DAMN FLUID AND CRISP! THE FIGHT SCENES WERE AWESOME! THE HUMOR IS ASTOUDNING! YURI-FREAKING-LOWENTHAL IS VOICING MERCURY! NEATH OUM IS KILLING IT! AND DID ANYONE SEE MONTY'S SIGNATURE IN THE CROW FLOCK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO!**_

_**AND THE CLIFF FROM THE RED TRAILER! TEARS! TEEAARRSS!**_

_**I'm tempted to bring attention to Sasuke and Mercury's now shared voice talent in the future. But we'll get there.**_

_**I'm so damn excited! I can't wait for more!**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	24. The Lineage that Binds

Hunting or Bust

Dust 19: The Lineage that Binds

Volume 3 is well under way and the Japanese and Manga adaptions are coming too!

Can you believe this little web series has grown so big.

But this update isn't for any of those.

This is for the introduction of Winter. The real meeting with Qrow.

And for some of that rich, juicy Vic Mignawnawnaw goodness.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"See! You see! Do you see it?! You see it right?!" Naruto repeatedly stated like an insane man as he waved his paper in front of his teammates' faces. His eyes might as well have been bouncing around in his head as he palmed the paper, "72! I got a 72 on the last test! Can you believe it?! I'm smart!"

Tenten was sitting back against the wall with a pillow behind her and a magazine in her hands. She put it down to give her leader an encouraging smile, "Yeah Naruto. We see your test. We all saw it. We all saw it when you were waving it around like a maniac at lunch too." She closed the magazine on the page she left off and sat up in her bed, "We're very proud that you're improving your scores but you've gotta calm down. Anymore boasting and people will start thinking you're crazy."

"Most people probably already do." Kiba noted as he lowered the comic book and ridiculed his celebrating partner, "Plus, 72 really isn't much to celebrate over Naruto. You might wanna try getting a better score before blowing your mind over something like this."

Kiba's chiding was ineffective in ruining the whiskered boy's joyful behavior as he dashed up next to the bed and got up in the brunette's face, "77! You got a 77 and I got a 72! I'm closing in on you!" Naruto sneered, "Soon you shall be the dumbass of the group and I shall be only slightly less dumb!"

Kiba groaned and pushed Natuto's face away, "Yeah, okay, keep telling yourself that. You know it was your lucky break, right?"

"Luck had nothing to do with it!" Naruto proudly thumped his chest, "This was smarts and Velvet's studying method! I told you guys about Velvet, right? How I know an upperclassman, right?"

Tenten tiredly nodded, "Yes Naruto. You told us, and you made Ruby and Jaune back you up on it too."

Kiba palmed his face, "Oh my god. Can you go back to being dumb? You were more tolerable then."

"Nehehehehehe."

"Ugh." Kiba groaned before looking across the room at the only person they knew that had been able to survive an excited Naruto for extended periods of time, "Sasuke, you wanna chime in and stop this madness before I'm forced to punch his teeth in? Because at this point I'm fine with either option."

"..."

The three other students looked over at their silent friend as he was looking down at his notebook with a contemplative stare.

Tenten saw the serious concentration on Sasuke's face and wondered what her partner was thinking. She inquired, "Sasuke? You okay?"

He looked up, "Huh?" He saw they were all looking at him sit there in silence and he sat up in response, "Sorry guys, I wasn't paying attention."

Kiba scoffed, "We noticed. What's got you all absentminded?"

Sasuke showed them the stuff he had written down on his notebook, "It's the writing assignment Professor Goodwitch gave us today-"

"Nope!"

"No."

"Uh uh."

In an instant, Naruto dove into his bed to cover his face and ears, Kiba went back to hiding behind his comic, and Tenten went to desperately reading her magazine to avoid the conversation as her eyes darted around too fast to actually read. The Uchiha looked between all of them blankly and lowered his notebook tensely, "What's wrong with all of you?"

Naruto lifted his head out of his pillow and glared at his best friend, "What's wrong with you?! We just got that essay today! Today! Can't we just have a day before someone brings it back up and it starts bearing down on us?"

...

"To be honest, I agree with him."

Sasuke looked over to see Tenten look up from her magazine with a little bit of apprehension. She shrugged, "I know it sounds pretty lazy but we did just get that essay today. It's good to stay on top of these things but we can slow down and take our time with them if we plan ahead."

"Plus she gave us-like-two weeks to do it." Kiba added, "That freakin' guarantees the paper is gonna be hard as hell! And she definitely doesn't expect anyone to already start working on it the first day. Or are you one of those kids that always finished their projects the first day they got them?"

Sasuke looked down at his notes and grumbled while scratching his head. They made sense about not wanting to do this project right away. The class was assigned to fill up a minimum of three pages for an informative essay about a subject. He really did want to withhold from doing the paper so soon but there was one problem with that.

The subjects they were writing about were different for everyone. Off of a long list of choices to write about, you needed to go up to Professor Goodwitch and choose an idea. His first choice, the easiest one for him to write about, was taken. And so were his backups. So he picked one that sounded interesting.

Dust In Modern Society.

But there was a big problem with the topic he chose.

He didn't know a lot about the use of Dust in modern society. He bought the rounds for his shotgun in bulk. So did Kiba for his tonfa. Naruto's arrows were mechanical. And Tenten didn't use Dust at all.

He had no one on his side to help him think this through. And that was enough for him to believe he dropped the ball on this assignment already.

"Ugh." He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he visualized how many books and reports he would need to shuffle through before getting the appropriate amount of information he needed for the paper. And it was a lot. But then an easier, faster, and arguably more effective answer popped into his head. He closed his notebook and shuffled out of bed before walking out the door, "I'll be back in a sec."

His teammates watched him leave before Kiba shook his head and went back to his comic, "That dude needs to relax."

"I doubt he could." Naruto shook his head, "Sasuke tries to hide it from everybody else but he's a total nerd. It's a real shame."

Tenten sarcastically giggled at her leader's ignorance to his own faults, "Yep. Sasuke's a nerd. And you two are dorks."

"Woah woah woah!" Naruto waved his hand defensively, "I think you need to check your facts, Tenten. We are not dorks."

"Pfft-hahaha!" Kiba's sudden cackle drew their attention as he held his side with laughter, "He's got a pet rock to help him fight crime!"

"Oh! Let me see! Let me see!" Naruto ran to the side and looked at the comic with his partner before snorting and gasping for air, "Hahaha! That's the best!"

Yep. Totally not dorks.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

***Knock*Knock*Knock***

"Coming!"

The door swung open and a melancholic Ruby looked up to see the black-haired swordsman of Team NKTS standing outside patiently. The younger student seemed to perk up with joy and hope that something fun might happen. She threw her arms up in delight, "Sasuke!"

"Hey Ruby." The boy gave a reserved wave and felt confused as to why she seemed so excitable at night. He just blamed it on her natural high energy and sugar rush, "I was just-"

"Hold on." She looked back into her room, "Guys! Sasuke's here!"

Not even a moment later did Yang appear by her sister and look at the Uchiha like he was some shining ray of hope. The blonde seemed so giddy to see him again, "Awesome! We're so glad you're here!"

They really were sisters.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Ruby looked up at him expectantly, "Sasuke, did something happen that we can help with?"

Yang nodded, "Yeah. Like-for example-did you make another enemy out of a sociopath and need our help to bring him down? Cause if you did then we are totally game for that. Right now. Immediately in fact."

"Running away won't make it disappear!"

Sasuke blinked in confusion before shaking his head, "Um...no. Still just the one." He remembered what he needed to and tried to focus on that, "Actually I came over because I wanted to ask Weiss for something."

The two sisters blinked and looked between each other with bewilderment before a pair of high-heel boots started knocking against the floor. Ruby and Yang stepped aside as Weiss walked up to the door and looked Sasuke over for a moment before crossing her arms and pointedly asking, "What do you want?"

Sasuke got straight to the point, "Have you looked over anything about your essay subject yet?"

"Oh no!" Yang grumbled out and she and Ruby seemed to fall into despair. They shook their heads, "No no no no! Not you too!"

"It's spreading!" Ruby held her head in panic, "It's spreading!"

Weiss waved them off, "Ignore them. Yes, I've been considering my research topic lately. And I just recently proposed to the rest of my team that we should seriously consider how we are going to complete them quickly and effectively."

"S-sorry Weiss, but I can't talk about this with you." Sasuke and Weiss looked back into the room to see Ruby atop her bed and covering her ears with her pillow, "M-my ears have been blocked by my pillow and I can't get them off! Oh no! The humanity! La la la la la!"

"Me too!" Yang added from her bed as she placed her headphones over her ears and started fiddling with her Scroll, "My music is up all the way and I can't hear anything!"

_"~falling toward the sky, waiting for my ride~"_

Yang flinched in pain as the bass rang out so loud that the duo could hear it all the way from the door. But still the brawler kept her headphones on to avoid any discussion about the essay. Sasuke and Weiss finally looked down from Yang's bed and spared a look to the girl reading her book in solitude. Blake spared them a look in return, blinked once, before flipping her page and resuming where she left off.

Weiss turned back to the NKTS member and nodded, "Anyway, I was planning out to work on my essay. Why do you care?"

"Well, my topic for the essay was the usage of Dust in today's society."

Weiss gave an uncaring but affirmative hum, "Well, that's a very good subject and there's a lot to choose from. Sounds like you got a lucky draw."

"Yeah. Except...I don't really know a lot about it or the books that would help me the best."

Weiss' indifferent demeanor switched for a bemused one as she looked at him strangely. She raised an eyebrow in question, "Don't know a lot-what do you mean? Who doesn't know how Dust helps us everyday? What did you live under a rock?"

"I lived a rather...simple life." Sasuke answered before shaking his head, "Doesn't matter. I need help and I was just thinking who better to ask than an expert? So...would you be willing to help me?"

"La la la l-wait what?" Ruby stopped singing to herself and pulled the pillow off her head when she heard Sasuke's suggestion. Even Blake stopped reading her book and lowered it enough to peak over the top and watch what was happening with her full attention. Yang was still blasting music in her ears and had no idea what was going on.

Weiss blinked in confusion and shock before staring at him with pure bewilderment. She raised her brow, "You want my help?"

Sasuke nodded, "Well you seem like the most knowledgable individual on the subject. I couldn't think of anyone more gifted in the field of Dust than you."

The smugness couldn't be contained as Weiss smiled and flicked her side-ponytail before crossing her arms proudly, "Well, you can obviously see a talented and gifted individual when you notice one. Knowing my expertise and not badmouthing it is always a good way to ask for a favor. Some people could learn from that."

Ruby mumbled sadly and Blake rolled her eyes. Of course she'd bring up the first time they all met. When Weiss' pride was filled and her haughtiness was in full bloom, nothing was safe from her scorn.

The ivory-haired heiress' face suddenly twisted into an accusatory look that startled Sasuke, "Although I'm honestly surprised you aren't well-versed in the subject of Dust. Considering you've been so well acquainted with it for some time now."

"..."

Ruby leaned over her bed and tried whispering to Blake, "I think she's talking about the thing where he and Naruto stole Dust for that Wilsk guy and-"

Weiss interrupted over her shoulder, "Shut up!"

Sasuke looked to the side with guilt for the acts he and his friend committed not too long ago. He solemnly noted, "I suppose it would have been too easy expecting you to forgive us for that, huh?"

Weiss faced back towards him and let her eyes fall for a moment. She stood up straight, stepping out of her more easy and superior posture, as she kept her arms folded, "Well, I can appreciate that you told us and helped catch the scoundrel that was to blame for it. And considering you were forced to do it and that my family's belongings have now been returned to us, I suppose I can also forgive you for your criminal behavior. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't still peeved every now and then remembering it."

Sasuke nodded, "I understand. And I'm sorry for that. And if you don't want to help me then I'm okay with that. I just thought I could take the chance and ask you. And if you want something in return then I would owe you or I could help you in something or..." Sasuke awkwardly trailed off for a bit before realizing that he was probably wasting his time. He gave a silent sigh before nodding his head and walking away from their door, "Sorry for bothering you."

"Wait." Sasuke turned back around and saw Weiss standing there with her eyes closed in meditation. After a moment they opened again as she looked over towards him, "All right. I'll assist you with your essay." A relived smile came over his face as she stood back in her usual posture, "Meet me in the library tomorrow after classes and I'll help you with what you need."

Sasuke asked, "Wait, tomorrow?"

"You asked me for my help. We do it on my schedule. And I said tomorrow. Any problems with that?" He shook his head, "Good. See you tomorrow in the library."

She shut the door before he could say anything else and walked back over to her bed. She stopped right in front of it when she felt some eyes watching her move. Ruby was looking over her bed with gleeful joy as Blake still watched with her stoic gaze. The heiress questioned, "What are you looking at?"

"Oh Weiss, that was so nice of you!" Ruby cheered with delight that her partner didn't remain cold to the request, "I knew you weren't an Ice Queen with a solid chunk of ice for a heart!"

"There you go using that name again! I'm not an Ice Queen!" Weiss then looked mortified and covered her heart, "A-and what do you mean a chunk of ice?"

"It's just rather surprising to see you helping someone like that." Blake answered before quietly muttering, "And him of all people."

"Hmm." Weiss hummed and placed a hand on her hip, "Well, as the kind and helpful person I am, it's just my natural disposition to assist those that need me."

_"~don't you worry about the dark, I will light up the night with the love in my heart~"_

The other girls all looked up to see their blonde teammate still blasting her music directly into her ears to avoid the essay conversation. Weiss sighed and walked up to the bed's side before poking the brawler's leg. Yang looked down at her, "We finished talking Yang. You can take the headphones off."

"WHAT?!"

They all flinched when Yang yelled at the top of her lungs. Weiss' eye twitched and trembled a little before miming for her to remove her headphones. The busty girl followed her instructions and removed them from over her ears, "Better?"

"WHAT?!"

The other girls just palmed their faces tiredly. Now they had to deal with this.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Now, using my prior knowledge of the most useful books and encyclopedias available, as well as my professional opinion on what information they gathered is most accurate and helpful for the purpose of the essay, I have gathered together some texts that will assist with your writing."

***THUD***

The table trembled and Sasuke swore he felt his chair bounce from the immense pile of papers and books placed in front of him. Weiss dusted her hands off and placed her them on her hips proudly, "You can start thanking me now if you want."

Sasuke sat up in his seat so he could look over the pile in front of him with absolute disbelief. He fell back in his chair, mouth agape in shock and awe before mechanically turning to look up at the pale-haired girl. She furrowed her eyes, "What? Don't give me that look. You asked for my help and this is it. This is me helping you. You can show some thanks for that."

"B-but this is a lot more than I thought." Sasuke muttered, "I thought you'd help me pick out a book and that was it. Wouldn't something like..." He picked one up off the pile, "The Complete History of The Schnee Dust Company for Dummies and Other Inadequate Individuals be enough to cover it?"

"Please, that book doesn't even scratch half of the history of my family's company. Plus you should be focusing on the broader scope of what Dust accomplishes in society and not just what an energy company does with it, even one as successful as ours." Weiss scoffed and knocked the book out of his hand before pointing at his face, "You said I was the expert. Well take the expert's advice and start flipping through the pages."

Sasuke was starting to regret using that term in particular to assuage the heiress to help. He pulled one book out in particular and flipped it open to a random page. He stared at it for a moment before looking up at her quizzically, "Didn't Goodwitch say we need a minimum of one book reference for the essay? Can't I pick a book and just use the Internet for the rest of it?"

"This is the chance for you to gain actual knowledge! Don't waste it!" Weiss seemed overly excited about the idea of working hard and organizing effort like this. She took out her white notebook and sat across the table as she opened it up and started writing things down, "Let's get to work!"

What was she working on? Wasn't this to help him with his paper?

The question plagued Sasuke's thoughts for a second before he just sighed and went back to work. There was a lot he had to look through apparently.

The swordsman and the heiress sat in silence as they both looked through books and continued to write down notes. The two students sat in companionable silence for several minutes as they worked away on their respective pieces.

"..."

"..."

...

"Uhhh, they're not doing anything."

"Is this supposed to be this boring?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong?"

"It's these two that's doing it."

The group of five snoops were spying on the odd duo, hoping to see something special when the news that the ebony-haired boy and ivory-haired girl would be working together reached them. But a few minutes into it and all that had happened was Weiss picked books, they talked, and now silent working.

This was not the exciting reconnaissance mission they had hoped for.

Yang sighed and rubbed her bridge with disappointment, "Leave it to Weiss to take a study date and actually use it to work and study. How boring can you be?"

Ruby looked up from behind the bookshelves they were spying from and looked at her sister quizzically, "Well what are you supposed to do if you aren't studying on a study date? I don't know either."

Yang gave her sister a smile, "And that's what makes you so innocently cute."

Naruto looked at the brawler in confusion as well, "I don't know either."

Yang gave him the same smile, "And that's what makes you so simple."

"Hey!"

"Shh." Tenten shushed her friends incessant talking during their investigation before looking back to critically inspect her partner, "We're doing this in secret guys, no noise. Stop talking."

The three lowered their heads in shame as Jaune furrowed his eyes, "Y'know, when you guys told me Sasuke and Weiss we're gonna hang out alone, I thought you meant they were going out on a date. Like they were gonna see a movie or go to dinner or something. But now we're just watching the one thing that's almost as boring as studying-watching other people study."

Ruby groaned, "He's totally right. I wanna go back to our room and relax. The Peeved Players probably released a new video and I'm gonna miss it!"

"It'll be there when you get back." Yang pulled Ruby's hood over her head to put a halt on her complaining as she kept watching with hope that something exciting would happen. Something had to happen when two attractive teenagers got together away from their friends! She was holding out for something interesting, "If I miss something juicy and can't hold it against Weiss I'll be pissed."

Tenten stared at the other girl pointedly, "Hey, I don't know about you but I'm here to make sure Sasuke acts properly. I have to make sure he can act like a proper gentleman when he's out with someone."

Yang scoffed, "Pfft. Proper gentleman. That just sounds boring. I wanna see something fun."

Jaune grumbled beneath his breath enviously, "Stupid study date. Stupid essay. Stupid Sasuke with his charming, stupid face." He realized he was grumbling this beside two of Sasuke's teammates and quickly pedaled back, "S-sorry guys, I didn't mean that. I-I'm just sorta miffed is all."

Naruto shrugged, "Meh, you're not wrong. Sasuke has a stupid face." Tenten nudged his shoulder, "What? It's true."

Ruby rested her chin on the shelf and moaned, "I'm hungry~." She looked over at her fellow hyperactive spaz with hope, "Naruto, did you bring any snacks or cookies?"

Naruto reached into his pack and pulled out a little bag with broken cookies in it, "Way ahead of you."

"Yay!"

Yang whispered loudly, "Ruby! Shush!" Her little sister flinched from the blonde's abrasive tone before she looked between all of them, "Guys, this is a golden opportunity to catch our friends doing something embarrassing! And we can hold it over them forever! Do you really wanna miss that?"

Ruby gave a hesitant shake of her head, "Uhh, I really don't wanna get on Weiss' bad side anymore. She gets mad at me enough."

Naruto threw some cookies in his mouth, "I can screw with Sasuke any way I want. It's not that hard."

Jaune scratched his cheek, "Um, I'm really not sure I can risk making Weiss any madder with me than normal. She glares at me like crazy as it is."

Tenten shook her head, "I'm good."

Yang sighed, "Well I do. So I'm not leaving until I see something funny. So get ready for the long haul guys..." She and the rest of them turned back to stare at their friends, "We're gonna be here as long as we need."

Unfortunately the moment they turned around they were met with the sight of Sasuke turned around in his chair staring in their direction and Weiss propping her head against her hand while leaning on the table, glaring at them.

...

Sasuke sent them a small wave while Weiss' eyes narrowed in contempt for their effort to spy on them.

...

Not knowing what to do, Ruby just waved back meekly, "H-Hey~."

"RUN!"

Jaune, Tenten, Yang, Ruby, and Naruto all immediately jumped to their feet and tried to escape before they were caught. They stumbled and tripped over each other in a long, awkward attempt to run as the duo just sat there watching them fumble. After finally getting their footing back they immediately sprinted down the floor to escape the library and all the stares they had garnered.

Sasuke turned back in his seat after watching the strange spectacle and shrugged, "I wonder what that was about."

Weiss rolled her eyes before droning derisively, "Something stupid no doubt. Something I'll have to deal with when I get back to our room." She went back to writing in her book while also contemplating ways to punish Yang and Ruby when she saw them again, "This is an unfortunate byproduct of having someone as unyielding as Yang as a teammate. She's adamant to follow and get any material she can use to tease us on a regular basis."

Sasuke showed his empathy for the white-clad girl's plight, "I'm sorry to hear that."

But the sudden glower that crossed the heiress' face shut his mouth instantaneously. The ivory girl seethed in a mix of anger and regret before glaring at the boy across form her, "Well it certainly hasn't gotten any easier considering that your blockhead of a leader decided to..." She grumbled a little and rubbed her eyes, "Decided to film me...performing that song."

Oh. The Angel debacle.

Sasuke wasn't 100% sure if it had a proper name, considering he wasn't part of any tight social group before now, but he was certain this was what was called an inside joke.

Ruby and Yang giggled between themselves thinking about it. Jaune still tried to make the Snow Angel nickname work now that Weiss had literally appeared in front of them as an angel. Kiba attempted to chide her sometimes to get a reaction but immediately shut up when she glared. Nora hummed the song with genuine and earnest appreciation for the music, making it very difficult for her to be angry at the energetic powerhouse.

Naruto had it as his ringtone.

Sasuke was not looking forward to the day when Weiss found out about that little tidbit.

Weiss covered her face, mortified at the reality that her singing that song was probably going to haunt her for the remainder of her time at Beacon. And maybe her life if they stayed in contact after graduating.

Sasuke seemed rather uncomfortable with Weiss' depressed disposition just a foot in front of him. He scratched the back of his head before trying to console her, "Well, in my opinion-"

Weiss shot up, "Don't!"

"H-huh?"

Weiss glared at him vehemently as she nearly growled out, "I've already heard it all. Every single last joke that could be made is one Yang already made. Did I fall from Heaven? Am I a good angel or a bad, bad angel? Did I..." Weiss looked flustered and turned away from the boy for a moment before whispering beneath her breath, "D-did I stuff or was it the dress?" She then huffed and sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, "So try as you might there is nothing you can say that I haven't already heard."

...

"I thought...that was a really beautiful song. And you have a nice voice."

Weiss opened her eyes again and blinked before turning back to see Sasuke working on his paper again. She just sat there in stunned silence as her brain tried to comprehend the compliment.

Well...that's something she hadn't heard yet.

The heiress sat there silently for a moment before sitting properly in her seat and getting back to work. The awkward silence between them persisting as they had nothing to break the tension. Only the sound of pencils scratching against paper continued.

"~"

Weiss heard a gentle tune and looked up to see Sasuke subconsciously humming something while he worked. The Schnee girl originally thought he was humming the tune of the song she sang and prepared to chew him out as well before realizing it was a completely different rhythm than she knew. She sat there listening to him quietly murmur the strange tune before speaking up, "You're humming."

"Huh?" Sasuke looked up at her before he realized what she said and sat up, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize I was doing that. I'll try to stop."

Weiss insisted, "What song was that? I don't recognize the cadence."

"It's nothing. It's just something I apparently hum when I don't realize it. Tenten said I do it too. It's..." Sasuke's eyes seemed preoccupied with the book beside him and silently droned, "Just an old song my family used to sing."

Weiss grew interested in what he was referring to and asked, "You didn't strike me as coming from a musical family."

"I don't mean they sat around writing songs. It's just a nursery rhyme that was passed down in my family. My parents' parents used to sing it to them." He erased something on his paper, "It helps lull people to sleep."

Weiss hummed in return, "I think I'd like to hear that."

Sasuke gave a wry smile, "Do you want to use your favor to get me sing sing off-key?"

"Not at all." Weiss responded, "My father says you should never waste a favor on something useless as personal intrigue. You'll never know what you can get out of a person later down the road."

Sasuke chuckled nervously and tried to avoid how bleak that was to say to their own daughter, "That's...a nice piece of advice."

"It's the advice of a businessman." Weiss corrected, "But I suppose it can hold some merit in certain situations."

Sasuke was not looking forward to that certain situation.

"To be completely honest, for a while I believed I owed a debt of gratitude to you." Weiss looked up to see the confused look on the swordsman's face, "For speaking to me about giving Ruby a chance on our first day. I appreciated your guidance, and despite some continued issues, I feel like she is becoming a much better leader I can follow. So I owed you for talking some sense into me."

Sasuke seemed surprised that he had gotten in the good graces of the stern girl, "Oh, well you're wel-"

"But then I found out you had been stealing from my family's company for years and then we went to help you stop that madman. So I'm pretty sure we're even now."

Shrewd. But fair.

Sasuke placed his pencil down and looked over what he had written so far. There were bullets points down the entire page filled with sentence long excerpts about the use of Dust and how it effects their everyday modern life. Now all he had to do was work out some rough edges and turn it all into paragraphs and his was done.

Weiss' expertise turned out to be very beneficial indeed.

He looked up at the pile of books in front of him. Once he started actually digging into it, the pile wasn't nearly as bad or big as it looked. He looked over the books and noticed one that seemed like it had an older cover and design than the others. He looked up to see Weiss still focusing on her paper so he reached over and flipped it open.

...

The swordsman decided to break the silence that settled between them as he turned the page, "Do you know what your family did before they became involved in the Energy Propellant Market?"

Weiss gave a vague hum without looking up from her notebook, "I was told my grandfather used to expand and purchase small businesses in an effort to create a large conglomerate that could specialize or deliver on any service or good needed. On the cusp of the war he started investing in mining and transporting Dust to the Kingdoms for profit. Helping Atlas develop the Cross Continental Transmit and exporting the prints to be developed in the other Kingdoms just helped push it all along."

"And what about before your grandfather?"

Weiss gave a small sigh, "'Don't bother asking about the unnecessary Weiss, just focus on now and how that will affect our future.' That's what my father told me when I asked." The heiress' mind wandered for a moment in thought, "I looked up some of our history after he said that but it wasn't anything of great importance. Some peoples' family history doesn't really get to begin until late down the road. While some...begin far, far earlier than where they stand now."

Sasuke's eyes paused for a moment as the pieces started coming together. He questioned, "Why didn't you pick the Dust topic?"

"These projects are for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and taking on topics some of us are not familiar with. I've learned about Dust and its faculties for so much of my life that it would just be too easy and boring to waste my time writing about it." Weiss answered while still concentrating on her paper, "So I chose a topic that seemed more intriguing to me."

"You chose to write about the the first Hunters and the people that guarded the Kingdoms first?"

Weiss looked up and saw Sasuke holding up the book he was reading from her side of the pile.

**The Hunter Origins**

If he was angry or upset he didn't show it as Sasuke merely droned out, "I was wondering who took that topic first."

Weiss sat back in her seat and sighed before almost looking apologetic, "When you asked for my help yesterday, I thought we could benefit from working together on our papers. You needed help from my family's knowledge on the subject and I could ask you...about your family. Then I realized that..." Weiss crossed her arms with chagrin and an indignant expression on her face, "That I would not appreciate if someone I didn't know very well sat across from me for an evening and hounded me about my family. So I decided to work on it on my own and give you the best points I could think of myself."

Sasuke considered the heiress' confession before he asked, "But you're still interested in asking, aren't you?"

"..."

Her silence seemed like a pretty clear answer.

His onyx eyes fixed into her light blue and he nodded, "You can ask if you want." He shrugged, "It seems like you already know enough so me filling in the blanks can't do much else."

The white-clad girl hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Are you really an Uchiha?"

Sasuke relaxed back in his seat and nodded, "Yes, I am a real Uchiha. I am a descendent of one of the first families to ever take up the mantle of Hunter for the Kingdoms of Remnant."

Weiss shook her head in reserved disbelief, "I thought that name seemed familiar when I first heard it but I couldn't believe it. They were ancient. The names like Uchiha, Pengon, and Arceah that helped mold the foundation of Hunters today were thought to have disappeared entirely. Either the names died out or the family members did."

"Ours was the latter." Sasuke informed, "After the war ended and Remnant came into a time of piece, the remaining members of the family that didn't die in the war scattered and traveled the globe. But they started dying out one by one before the name fell into obscurity and only a handful were left."

"But this is amazing!" Weiss jumped out of her seat and seemed to beam with excitement and anticipation, "I always wondered why someone who never tried to make a deep impression in others and never joined a training program was still so capable and skilled enough to hold off a champion like Pyrrha Nikos! But now I understand! You're the successor to one of the oldest and most extinguished Hunter bloodlines in the world! Don't you see how astounding this is?! You could brand yourself as the revival of your heritage! The Uchiha were renowned for the abilities! The skills! Their undying loyalty!"

"And their willingness to do whatever the Kingdoms asked them to do back in the old days."

Weiss' energy seemed to immediately die down as she looked down at the prodigal son with the disheartened expression. The girl seemed to realize the mood and spoke in a much softer tone, "The Pengon family was most famous for their loyalty to protecting the people. The Arceah were famous for their hunting of Grimm."

"And the Uchiha were most famous for their execution of criminals and Faunus during the time when we were still separated."

The worst part about inheriting a famous name...you couldn't do anything about the history it had already established.

Back when the Kingdoms were first forming and the Faunus were being kept out of the protecting walls, some of them started attacking the borders. As such, the Kingdoms needed to be guarded. And one family that had taken up the role of protector, the Uchiha, volunteered to deter any sentient threat that endangered the growing serenity these new societies promised. And they followed through without any problem.

Some would believe they reveled in their accomplishment.

That wasn't to say that the Uchiha solely killed the Faunus during their campaign under the sigils of the Kingdoms. But it couldn't be denied that if you were to pile the two groups of bodies together, there was a distinct difference in size between them.

After the war ended, and the loyal family was no longer needed, they had separated and tried to find their place in a peaceful world. But some people did not forget what the family had done while they were protected by the duties of the councils. When the remaining members were caught by the people...

They had many years of prosecution they carried out to pay for.

But even after all this time and the name Uchiha still held weight for what it used to be. Some people expected him to be ruthless and cold. Wilsk was hoping for him to become an assassin, his right-hand man, or even a successor to his practices in the future. People were wary around him.

And Faunus...

Faunus didn't associate with him. They didn't talk to him. They didn't even want to look at him. When they realize who he is they either look at him with condemnation or fright. That rabbit Faunus Naruto had become acquainted with had passed him by a few times in the hallway and he swore she became paler with every step close to him before she was out of his sight.

"I don't tell the others on my team this but sometimes when I open my locker I find notes in there. Threats. Intimidations. From people that think I'm here to continue on the efforts of my ancestors." Sasuke gave a reserved sigh before shaking his head, "Thanks for the thought but the last thing I came here to do is revive the heritage my family is known for."

Weiss crossed her legs and asked quizzically, "What would the rest of your family think if they found out you were being threatened like this?"

Sasuke didn't respond. In fact his face didn't change at all from the solid mask he had while talking to her about this subject.

Weiss' eyes slowly widened in recognition as she understood his silence. She nearly whispered out, "My apologies. I had assumed there were difficulties between you before you became a thief and came here. I-I didn't-"

"It's fine." Sasuke reassured her, "I never mentioned it before so I can't expect you to know it."

Weiss seemed unusually quiet at the topic before asking, "How did it happen?"

"A Grimm attack. We were surrounded by Grimm and we had no way to escape by ourselves. My brother kept me close in his arms because I was too young and my parents told him to escape with me while he still could. He said that before he knew it they were overwhelmed and were killed." She looked up at him as he simply talked about his parents' demise before a confused expression came over his face, "I was so young when it happened that I don't remember anything about them. When I think back to them it's like a blurry picture. I know who they are and what they mean to me, but no matter how hard I try I can't remember anything beyond a few key moments. It's...weird."

A somber Weiss gave a small nod, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Sasuke returned her gesture of consideration, "Thanks." He looked back down at the wood of the table as he continued, "I hum this song my mom used to sing to us because it's one of the only things I can remember them by. That and my father's sword. My brother gave it to me so that I can always remember them and their bravery in their last moment."

Weiss looked at the long gaze the boy had in his eyes and asked, "What about your brother? Where is he?"

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment as he let her question sink in. He closed his eyes before shaking his head, "Somewhere else."

He didn't wish to honor his family name. He didn't appear to be pining after the recognition of his sibling. He wished to honor his parents purely for the reason of his fondness for them. And he hummed poorly just for sentimental reasons.

Weiss would have to be a blind fool to not see the irony in sitting across from this boy at the moment.

The proud girl crossed her arms in the heavy silence between them before finally stating sardonically, "You know..." He looked up at her as she sadly looked off to the side, "If it makes you feel any better, you probably don't get nearly as many threats as I do in the mail."

It took a second for Sasuke to remember the girl's background and the effects it would have on someone his age growing up in it. These last few months receiving the occasional threat felt jarring at times. He couldn't imagine how receiving that kind of anger from so many people in the public eye must feel.

Overwhelming, without a doubt.

"Thank you Weiss."

The white-clad girl scoffed, "What in the world could you possibly be thanking me for?" In her mind all she had done was make him relive some obviously uncomfortable memories.

"For helping me with my paper. And for listening to me ramble on." A faint smile came over his face, "I know it was probably just a waste of your time but it was relieving to get some of this off my chest."

The girl turned her nose up impatiently, "If you were wasting my time then I would have told you as much." She turned to face him again, "At least you heeded my advice and did something productive with your time."

He nodded, "Right. Thanks to you I may actually be able to finish this paper by tomorrow."

"You're welcome." Weiss was silent for a moment before she looked aside and continued, "And if you ever need some help with something else you are working on, you are free to come to me for assistance. You've proven that you can actually follow my rules better than my partner so I'm willing to help when you need it."

Another, more noticeable smile came over Sasuke's face, "I might take you up on that offer sometime."

"That's good. Always strive for the best."

...

Hmm.

Weiss suddenly felt relived that Yang had left earlier before this little study session turned personal. Somehow that woman would read into this and try to make something embarrassing out of it.

She did not need that right now.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Sasuke swiped his Scroll over the lock and walked back in to his room, "I'm back."

"YOU WANNA GIVE UP NOW, LOSER!"

"PLEASE! I'M JUST GETTING STARTED WIMP!"

After his long tutoring session with Weiss, Sasuke was greeted with the assault of sweat to his nose and yelling to his ears. He watched as Kiba and Naruto turned into blurs as they did push-ups beside each other while yelling out loudly. He walked in a little and raised an eyebrow, "What's going on here?"

Naruto answered from the floor, "Hey Sasuke! I'm teaching Kiba who's the best around here in a match to see who can do the most push-ups!"

Kiba yelled out, "He said he could do way more than me and I felt bad letting his delusions take him over like that! So I decided to smack a little reality into him and show him I'm the best!"

Sasuke watched skeptically as the two hotheads continued their little match of strength and will. He crossed his arms and asked, "Who's winning?"

Naruto panted, "Don't know! Not keeping track!"

Kiba yelled through his breathing, "Tenten was keeping track!"

The swordsman looked over to see his partner lazily lying over her bed and surfing on her Scroll. She looked up from it to send him a cheeky smile before going back to playing. They were so absorbed in their competition they didn't even notice.

"Tenten! What's the count?!"

"Yeah! Who's the best so far?!"

"Oh~, it's close." She droned, eliciting a chuckle from Sasuke, "You guys are doing great."

"Damn straight!"

"Hey Naruto, you can quit now if you want! I won't blame you!"

"That sounds like the cry of a man who knows he's about to fail!"

"Hey, I was just being nice! When I win and you're crying in the corner, just know I gave you an out!"

"Sorry but I was never gonna give you an out! Best is best!"

"Well we can at least agree on that!"

"I can hear you breathing heavy!"

"What was that?! I can't hear anything over your panting!"

"Panting?! What panting?! I haven't even broken a sweat!"

"Then where's that stench coming from?!"

"You're smelling yourself, obviously! I can keep going on one hand!"

"Hey, me too!"

"Don't copy me!"

"I'm not copying you! This isn't exactly a new achievement you idiot!"

"I see you're slowing down!"

"Dude I'm ready to go until you-"

Sasuke stepped over and kicked both of their hands out from underneath them, making them unceremoniously plant their faces in the ground.

The blond and brunette stayed lying there for a moment before craning their heads back and sending the Uchiha a death glare unlike any they've sent before. He took it in stride and shrugged, "I had to put an end to it. You guys might be cool with it but I doubt we want to spend all night smelling your nasty sweat and hearing you both ridicule each other."

The partners laid there for a moment before looking at each other.

Kiba spoke, "Wanna stop?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. Actually starting to feel kinda tired."

Kiba chuckled, "Hey me too."

The two boys laughed and got up before diving into their respective beds to relax. Sasuke decided to fall back in his own bed as well and opened up his notebook to look over everything he had written today. He was definitely set for finishing up his essay at his own pace, "So how was your session with Weiss?"

He looked over at his partner as she had a bit of a suggestive smile and eager tone to hear what he had to say. The black-haired boy deadpanned, "You don't know? Looks like you were expecting something when you and the others were watching us earlier."

A nervous smile came over Tenten's face before Naruto groaned, "Ugh, I know she's all smart and stuff but that pile of books was huge! You could fill a library with that much material!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the hyperbole, "It wasn't nearly as bad as it looked."

"Really? Because it looked pretty bad."

Kiba scoffed as he lounged back on his pillow, "I knew she was an overachiever. Something about the way she's always going above and beyond to do homework just spelled it out. I'm usually right about these things."

"You sounded confident when you said she couldn't be a Huntress in heels and a skirt, remember? But I'm pretty sure she proved you wrong in our first class when she slew that Boarbatusk so quickly."

Kiba suddenly felt like he had his foot in his mouth as he gave a reluctant tilt of his head, "Y-yeah, okay, I was wrong about that. She's good. But I had never seen anyone fight in a frilly dress before so I had my doubts."

"Apparently it's a combat skirt."

The three other members of the team looked up at their leader questioningly on how he had corrected them so quickly. He shrugged, "What? Ruby told me."

"Well there you go. She's wearing something specifically designed for fighting." Tenten joked to the tattooed boy, "How about that Kiba? You keep talking about other people and you'll get left behind before you know it. I bet it would suck to drop out after coming this far."

"Oh like hell I'm gonna get dropped!" Kiba said in protest as his teammates laughed at pushing his buttons. The wild-looking boy huffed and leaned back into his pillow as a comfortable silence fell between the four of them.

...

"What would you guys do if this whole thing didn't pan out?"

Tenten and the others looked up at Kiba as she questioned, "What do you mean?"

"I mean if Beacon didn't work out and you had to get another job." He shrugged, "Or like after you retire from being a Hunter and try getting another job. Or I don't know it's up to you but would you want to do anything else?"

Naruto sat up in his bed, "Well what would you do if you couldn't be a Huntsman?"

Kiba scoffed, "Oh that's easy. I'd help with my family's animal shelter."

Naruto chuckled, "Your family has an animal shelter?"

"What, I never told you?" An excited smile came over his face as the tonfa-user remembered his home and the animals they took care of, "My family started a shelter years ago to take in animals and pets that didn't have homes. We have dogs. Cats. Hamsters. Rabbits. Ferrets. Turtles. Snakes. Horses. Basically any animal we found that didn't have a home we took in and cared for."

"Some of them sound like they shouldn't get along."

"If they couldn't get along they were put away in different places. We weren't gonna risk the snakes getting put alongside the little critters. But the others got along really well." Kiba laughed and nodded, "Yeah, if I retire or get kicked outta here, I'm gonna work in the shelter."

"Awww~, that's sweet." Tenten cooed and Kiba grumbled beneath his breath before she looked up thoughtfully. She nodded, "I'd probably take up the blacksmith business from my dad. Build weapons and help other people construct their weapons too. I mean I'm not all that great creating the more complex stuff because I screw up with gunpowder and Dust, but I can definitely help others with my skills."

Naruto laughed, "Yeah, and you can always sell the stuff you make from your Semblance if you need extra cash."

"I told you it I can't do that." Tenten held out her hand and her aura formed into a small knife with a ring she let dangle on her finger, "I can only create stuff with my Steel that lasts for a few minutes at best. That's why I always hid it before to make you guys think I have all these weapons on me. I can't sell it to people like that."

"They don't know that." A cheeky grin came over Naruto's whiskered face as he chuckled like a hyena, "Just sell some of your weapons to them for some quick cash, run away, and your weapons disappear. Free money."

Tenten shook her head but couldn't help laughing at Naruto's little money scheme. She looked at him expectantly, "Okay Naruto, what would you do for a job instead?"

Naruto cupped his chin in thought and considered his alternative life style besides Huntsman. A small smile came over him before nodding, "I'd wanna build stuff. Like houses or keep up the defenses and walls around the Kingdom."

Kiba seemed genuinely surprised by that answer, "You wanna go into construction?"

"Yeah! Building stuff and making things is super fun!" Naruto responded eagerly, "Just moving stuff around the room was fun a few weeks back. Seeing what goes where best. Moving it around for the most space. Getting rid of things we don't need-"

Tenten glared pointedly, "Like our desks?"

"-I'd definitely like to do that if I'm kicked out or retire." Another look of joyous realization came over him as he continued, "Oh! Or cooking! I'd like to do more with my cooking if I could!"

Shock and surprise came over Kiba and Tenten as they stared at the bandana-wearing boy in disbelief. Kiba's jaw went agape, "W-wait, you can cook?"

"Yeah, I can cook. Pretty well too in my opinion." The blond answered matter-of-factly, "My mom taught me when I was growing up and it stuck pretty well."

They remained slack-jawed. Before they looked over at Sasuke for confirmation and he nodded, "He cooked every now and then when we worked together. It was surprisingly tasty."

"Nothing surprising about it."

A look of enthusiastic anticipation came over Tenten's face as she sat up in her bed and smiled, "How have we not heard about this?! I wanna eat something you cooked!"

"I've never really gotten a chance." Naruto answered bashfully with a small smile, "All our meals are prepared for us here so there's never really been a need for me to make anything."

Kiba asked sarcastically, "Did anything you cook taste good or was it just lucky that Sasuke had a decent meal?"

Pride filled their leader's chest and he announced, "Hey, there are three things you can be certain about working with Naruto Uzumaki. I'm the leader of NKTS. I'm a moron. And I'm a damn good cook."

"One of those things isn't something to be proud about, dumbass."

A small chuckle escaped Sasuke's lips listening to his teammates banter before it suddenly went silent. He looked up to see all three of them looking to him patiently. He realized they were waiting for him to answer next and he closed his notebook, "Oh, um...I don't know."

"C'mon Sasuke, what would you do if you had to get another job?"

The raven-haired teen racked his brain trying to think about what he would want to do if he had to walk away from the Hunter program. But no matter what he thought about nothing immediately came to mind. He gave a hesitant shake of his head and relaxed his shoulders, "I can't think about what I'd want to do."

"Really?" Tenten asked curiously, "You're really good at a bunch of different stuff so I think you can try out for a lot of different jobs if you want."

"Maybe. But I can't think about being anything other than a Huntsman."

Kiba yawned and fell back in his bed, "Probably for the best, this was all just imaginary anyway. We're gonna be Huntsmen and Huntresses. That's all that matters."

"Totally."

The others put the topic to rest and went back to entertaining themselves with their comics and Scrolls as Sasuke sat there silently. He thought about what it meant not having any other job initiative or backup plan for the future.

...

One of the reasons he came to Beacon and stayed after Wilsk was gone was because he wanted to prove something. Either to the people or to himself. That the dark history of Uchiha didn't need to stay dark and hovering over him for the rest of his life. That he could move past it. That he didn't need to follow in their footsteps.

But he couldn't ignore the hypocrisy that entitled as well.

How could he say he was moving past the history of the Uchiha...when he couldn't even imagine himself being anything other than a Hunter?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Been waiting a very long time to reach this point. And I'll have been waiting even longer to reach the topics of the next few chapters as well.**_

_**Now we're getting into the meat of the series.**_

_**Gotta say, it's been fun making up my own stories and adventures between the canon bits of RWBY.**_

_**Soon enough we'll be reaching the Jaune arc, and then you'll get to see what I have planned after that.**_

_**Lot of thought has been put in there. Can't wait to write it.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	25. What We Show the World

Hunting or Bust

Dust 20: What We Show the World

Okay.

Halfway point.

Here we go.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Some guy called out, "Go Winchester! Show us what you got man!"

Some girl cheered, "You got this Uzumaki!"

Russel cheered for his leader from the stands, "C'mon Cardin! Kick that wannabe's ass!"

Ruby cupped her hands over her mouth as her friends called out as well, "Go Naruto! You can do it!"

Standing below them for everyone in the stands to see were Naruto Uzumaki and Cardin Winchester. The two young men stood across from each other in the center of the dueling stage in the amphitheater. The taller, red-haired student had a very cocky smirk on his face as he bounced the huge mace on his shoulder. Naruto's face slowly turned into a lop-sided smirk as well as he reached up and pulled _Stormer_ out, letting the blade fall to his right side.

They were both pretty happy with the choice for sparring.

Cardin was happy because he got a chance to knock this Uzumaki kid down a few notches. He had been getting a lot of attention among the first-years because of the people he hung out with. He had somehow made friends with Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee and that weird Rose girl that got moved up a few grades. And because that Uchiha kid could stand up to the champion and was on his team that somehow translated that he was something special too. Just because he got lucky fighting that blonde skank and winning his first match doesn't make him special. He was just another nobody, just like that Jaune Arc kid, standing in a spotlight and somehow thinking he deserved to be there.

Naruto was waiting for this match to happen because he had heard what kind of person Cardin was from his friends. He was a jerk. He ridiculed people that were weaker than him or couldn't do the same things he could with sheer joy. And he had also found a target in Jaune, his friend, to chide and toy with. In his eyes that made him a bully. And Naruto had grown increasingly sick of dealing with bullies as he got older. So now, faced with the chance to deal him a little punishment in return and having it be totally acceptable by the school's standards, he was gonna make sure Cardin would never forgot the whooping he was about to receive. He knew that Jaune probably wanted to be the one that taught this guy a lesson, but at the moment he'd just have to do it on behalf of his goofy friend.

Their profile pictures popped up on the overhead displays and their Aura bars appeared beside them. Glynda walked up between the two boys at the center and looked between them. She inquired with all the reserved grace she kept when teaching a class and mediating these fights, "Are you both ready?"

Cardin scoffed patronizingly and sneered at the shorter teen, "As ready as I'll ever be. How about you?"

Naruto's answer came when he grinned and showed his slightly pronounced canines, "Oh you bet."

Glynda rolled her eyes as she felt the tension and preparation for whatever they wanted to prove emanating from them both. Ugh, young men and their need to prove who's the better fighter.

"On my call." Gylnda stepped over to the far side of the arena, "Ready..."

"Begin!"

The white bandana-wearing boy and the silver armor-clad teen went charging after each other when they heard the call. Naruto dashed forward and held his blade out at his side as Cardin rushed forward, his superior size and weight making an intimidating figure to run at. The ginger-haired man smirked and swung his massive mace out at the whiskered boy's approaching form. But it resulted in a full, empty swing as Naruto dropped and slid down in a crouch beneath the larger student's mace before stopping behind him. He sprung up with a kick and gripped his sword with both hands before swinging to attack.

With surprising speed, Cardin spun around on his heels and parried the rapid swings of the sword in a spray of sparks. The bigger teen continued his counter and spun around and around as his mace clashed against the sword. He finally stopped spinning and lifted his mace high above his head before bringing it down swiftly like a hammer.

***BOOM***

Naruto somersaulted as the mace hit the ground and created a large explosion that decimated the spot he once stood on. He landed in a crouch and pulled one of his short blades out before swiping at the back of the Winchester's knee. Cardin dropped down and looked over in time as Naruto spun up to his feet and struck his shoulder and face with the swords during each rotation.

"URH!" Cardin grunted from the strikes before he raised his mace and blocked the sword with the long handle. He jumped up with surprising mobility and blocked the sword again before spinning around and striking him with a back kick that landed against one of Naruto's forearms. The blond was actually lifted off his feet by the kick and Cardin wasted no time to follow after him.

Naruto rolled back the moment he landed and stopped back on his knees as he held out the hilts of both blades and pulled the triggers, firing several arrows from the secret compartments at the charging bully. Cardin wasn't affected at all by the arrows as he knocked them back as quickly as they came out and brought his mace down again in front of him. A series of large explosions started going down in a line directly towards Naruto before he leaped aside.

Naruto closed his eyes from the gust of wind as the explosions finally started to die down. He stayed lowered to the ground as Cardin stood a few yards away from him while lifting his mace onto his shoulder with an egotistical smile and arrogance exuding off of him. He smirked, "What's wrong man? All you're doing is running. Too scared?"

Kiba roared from the stands, "What are you doing?!"

Tenten called out, "C'mon Naruto! Get on the offensive!"

Yang's voice boomed louder with a fiery passion, "I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU LOSE AND BESMIRCH MY REP, I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

Her sister gave her some room, "Woah."

If they bothered to look up at the monitors, they'd see that Naruto's quick blunt strikes to Cardin's shoulders and head had knocked his Aura down a few notches. But it was also true that Naruto had been keeping a distance so far. Despite his cocky attitude, he did have size and strength on his side. And he was surprisingly spry with his movement and quick to block with his mace. Plus the mace exploded, and considering Naruto healed from damage and didn't block it entirely, he didn't wanna risk getting blown up if he could.

He had enough getting blown up from his fight with Yang. He didn't need that risk again.

Despite his attitude, Cardin Winchester got into Beacon for a reason. He was good.

But that wasn't gonna stop Naruto from totally whopping his butt.

A more subtle but equally cocky smirk came over the blond's face as he reached behind him again and started fiddling around with his supplies. Cardin arched an eyebrow before Naruto's left hand stretched out to his side again with not one but three short swords gripped between his fingers. The whiskered boy grinned and bounced on his feet before sprinting forward without any hesitation.

Cardin furrowed his eyes before yelling and bringing his mace down to slam on his opponent. But Naruto acted quick and turned his hand to fire arrows in rapid succession that Cardin quickly had to block. Naruto took this chance and thrust _Stormer_ forward through the prongs of the mace and barely skimmed Cardin's cheek. The blond smirked and ran to Cardin's side before vaulting over his head and keeping the blade stuck between the prongs, forcing Cardin's grip to twist at an unnatural angle and making the armor-clad giant turn and kneel before it became hyperextended. Naruto landed on his other side and pulled his sword out before jumping and spinning out to land a kick on Cardin's face that sent him rolling, "AGH!"

Naruto sprinted after his opponent and Cardin finally landed on his butt before lifting up his mace and slamming it down in a line of explosions, "HA!"

Naruto flipped over to the side where the explosions didn't follow and swung his hand out, releasing the short blades tied to his hand by a thin wire and watching as they sailed forward to strike the Winchester boy before he could stand back up. The orange-haired teen grunted in annoyance and swatted the blades away again before jumping to his feet and watched Naruto stand there quietly as the three blades hung from his hand. Cardin clicked his teeth and held his mace with both hands before Naruto gripped the wires tightly and started spinning the blades around at his side so quickly they became silver blurs.

Cardin let his eyes wander over and watch the three blades spiral around like a rotor as he anticipated the next move.

He got his answer as the blond's body flinched and he spiked the three blades forward, giving the wires some slack and letting them extend the full length to reach Cardin. The Winchester boy gripped the handle tightly and swung his mace around weightlessly as he deflected and parried all the short blades that swarmed around him. Through the metal flashes he watched Naruto swing, pull, and extended the wires at different intervals, making it more difficult to predict when which one would strike. And even though he was blocking fairly well Cardin still felt the occasional scrap against his body.

The huge teenager yelled and started charging forward, blocking what he could of the strikes with his forearm guards and mace. He barreled forward, knocking the swords in different directions and leaving Naruto open before Cardin thrust his weapon forward. The blond stepped forward and parried the mace as it scrapped against his sword. But he didn't get a chance to move as Cardin pulled his weapon back and charged forward with his shoulder to tackle into the blond's chest. Naruto let out a pained gasp through his grit teeth and Cardin was certain he had gotten the upper hand before the blond's eyes opened with conviction and he tugged on the wires.

***Thud*Thud*Thud***

Cardin staggered from the triple arrows slamming into his back as the blades came back into Naruto's hands and he landed a spin kick on Cardin's cheek. The Winchester jerked to the side with the kick but growled as he grabbed Naruto's extended leg and lifted him off his feet. He tried to slam him down and cripple his movement before his hand was smacked with the regular sword and inadvertently let Naruto sail through the air. The Winchester composed himself and slammed his mace down to create a line of explosions that enveloped Naruto before he landed.

There were a few gasps and cheers from the bleachers as a content smirk grew on Cardin's face as he believed he had won.

He was proven otherwise when a sudden shadow blocked out the lights over him and he looked up to a shadowed figure with what looked like silver wings coming off its back. He got a better look and saw Naruto jumping at him with all of his short blades tied along the back of his arms with steel wire.

Cardin's eyes widened in shock as Naruto quick stepped in and swung his main sword down as the ten shorter blades followed along the wire and consecutively struck the mace with equal force. Cardin held his ground as best he could but each follow through of Naruto's blades pushed and staggered his stance. He hated to admit it but he couldn't keep holding his guard like this.

As Naruto came in for another strike, Cardin took this chance to drop to his knees and sweep Naruto's leg. The blond saw it coming and lifted his leg before Cardin's could connect but the Winchester took the opportunity to pop back up and strike as Naruto blocked with his swords and flew back. Cardin sprinted forward eagerly and brought his weapon up to bring down on the blond's head to end the match.

But Naruto held his sword up and blocked the mace's descent before it connected. The two teens kept trying to outdo the other in the strength department and gaining the advantage. Cardin summoned as much strength as he could and started pushing down weapon down harder on the sword-

"HA!"

Naruto's leg shot directly up and knocked into the bottom of Cardin's grip, knocking the huge mace out of his hands and high up into the air. Cardin stumbled back, eyes wide in shock, as his hands closed around the weapon that was no longer there. He blinked a few times before looking down to see Naruto smirking and pulling his sword back to hit.

Oh no.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! WRAH!"

Cardin's body went back and forth as Naruto's rapid strikes hit him all over. Disarmed and effectively screwed, Cardin's senses were shot from the continuous strikes as he felt his Aura nosedive. The attacks finally stopped and he stumbled on his feet before Naruto held out his arms, positioned all of his swords around him to open up their hidden compartments, and fire their arrows solely on his enemy.

"HA!"

***Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud*Thud***

"OUFH!" Cardin was blasted back and bounced off the ground before falling in a heap and lying there. He groaned and tried to lift his head up before falling down with a grunt.

"WOOHOO! GO NARUTO!"

The blond stood in pride amongst the claps and cheers and looked at his defeated opponent before pumping his fist. He won. He was just that good.

"NARUTO MOVE!"

Sasuke's yell caused the blond to flinch and look up in time to see Cardin's mace coming back down on his head. The mace slammed into the top of Naruto's head, ripping through the bandana and breaching the skin as it drew blood. Naruto gasped in pain and reached to hold his head as the mace landed on the ground and fell on its explosive trigger.

***BOOM***

Another explosion rocked the stage and Naruto was engulfed by the smoke cloud before getting knocked back by the shockwave.

"Hey!"

"Naruto!"

"I-is he okay?!"

The audience started to panic and look on in worry as the disheveled blond sat on the ground, covering his head wound as some blood start to seep through his fingers and down his hair. The students all murmured between each other before Glynda flicked the smoke cloud away and announced to the class, "Children, quiet down! I need a moment to check on him!"

The amphitheater immediately went silent as the Huntress kneeled down to check the injured boy. She saw he was breathing heavily, a little sweat accumulating on his brow as he kept his hand firmly placed on the bloody spot where his bandana ripped open. His fingers were red with the blood that seeped through but the flow had stopped now, most likely due to the help of his Aura. Naruto's eyes were constricted and he seemed panicked so Glynda lowered into his view and spoke quietly, "Are you all right?"

His eyes shot up to her and he stayed quiet for a moment before giving a small hum, "Y-yeah. I-I'm okay."

She looked up at the injured area and reached out to remove his hand, "Allow me to look at it."

"N-no." Naruto leaned away from her hand like he was still afraid he might get injured again and winced when he did. He stifled the pain and looked up at his teacher to try and convey he wasn't in a dire state, "I-I'm okay. I-I think I just need to go to the nurse's office or something."

Glynda looked at him strangely before nodding, "Very well. Would you like someone to accompany you-"

"I'll be all right." Naruto responded before she could finish her suggestion as he forced himself up to his feet. He seemed a little shaky but gave her a small nod before walking past her, "I'm sorry for interrupting the class."

The blonde teacher stood up and watched her student head back into the stage exit to go to the locker room as the stands clapped for their classmate's apparent recovery.

"Serves him right for being cocky."

Glynda looked over at Cardin as he picked up his mace and reprimanded the boy for his statement, "Mr. Winchester, please do not talk lightly of another person's injury. Despite how you two might feel about each other we are all on the same side."

Cardin scowled and shook his head as he left through the other exit, "Whatever."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby leaned over the edge of the railing to catch any sign of Naruto after he had disappeared through the exit but no luck. She stepped back and fell into her seat beside her partner and sister and looked between them in worry, "Do you think he's okay?"

"Yeah, he's gotta be." Yang reassured her little sister, "I mean-like-he took a punch from me! You know how tough he is if he could take one of those and keep walking."

Ruby didn't seemed convinced and Weiss spoke up from the other side, "I'm sure he's fine. You've seen how fast he heals. And you know how much he boasts about it too."

"Yeah, but...it was his head."

Yang shrugged, "Then he should be fine. He is pretty hardheaded."

"..."

They all gave her a pointed look at that one. That was just a bad joke and poor timing.

The blonde bombshell crossed her arms and huffed from the lack of appreciation for her genius. It wasn't easy making puns and jokes off the top of her head! This was an art form!

"Ruby's right." Tenten agreed beside her team and looked at them for support in her worry, "I mean he always does seem a little groggy after getting hit but he looked like he was gonna keel over after that."

"It'll be all right." Kiba said confidently, "I mean remember all that crap he's gotten back up from. Do I have to remind you guys about the time I threw him through two Grimm and he pinned them to a pillar?" Kiba asked rhetorically before simply stating, "He's fine."

"Then why do you look worried?"

"Who's worried? Me? No, you're worried. I'm sure he's gonna be back here any second and then we'll have to deal with him boasting about how he kicked ass and walked away from a broken skull or whatever. So get ready for that." Kiba countered rather quickly, a little uncertainty in his voice.

"He'll be all right." They looked towards the black-haired swordsman of NKTS as he looked between them all, "He probably just needs a little time to get ready again. Knowing him he's probably slapping himself for letting his guard down and not blocking that before it happened." They all still seemed concerned but they relaxed their shoulders at Sasuke's words, "He'll be back after a quick rest and everything will be fine. Okay?"

The students seem to trust the Uchiha's words and turned back to the center stage as they patiently awaited their friend's return.

The only person that didn't look away from where Naruto had left was Blake as she seemed to furrow her eyes in thought. For just a second...it seemed like...

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"*Huff*Huff*Huff*Huff*."

He was breathing so hard he could feel his eyeballs pulse behind his head. Was he breathing or hyperventilating? Considering how fast his heart was beating and how much air he kept cycling, he guessed it was the latter.

What was wrong with him? Why'd he let his guard down?! Everyone knew the moment you let your guard down you can die! But no, he was getting cocky! He knew better than to get cocky! Especially in a fight! Did he just forget or did he just never learn?!

H-his fingers hurt.

Naruto stumbled somewhere into the locker room and went to the far side to go find his locker. He couldn't feel his fingers and bit down on the wire to pull it back and slip his fingers out for freedom, ignoring the blood that painted his palm. The moment they did they clattered to the ground and dragged behind him. He stumbled into the lockers with a thud and tried to keep his balance as his ears started ringing.

Shit.

He turned around and leaned back against someone's locker to keep him standing as he took a deep breath. Carefully, he pulled one of his hands off his head and looked down at it as his arms started to shake slightly.

A faint orange glow started to come over it.

And it was becoming brighter.

Naruto shut his eyes and repeated under his breath, "Control. Control. You're in control. Control. Control. Breathe." His nerves started to calm and he exhaled quietly before finishing the mantra, "You're in control."

...

He opened his eyes again and looked down to see the color around his arm had vanished. He opened and closed his fist a few times to make sure he was fine before sighing in disappointment.

This was becoming a problem.

He hadn't had a close call like this in years but now he had three in two months!

First Yang. Then Wilsk. And now Cardin was causing him trouble!

He loved being a student at this school but it was causing him so much stress his hair might start falling out soon.

He looked down at his weapons that he had dragged beside him and clicked his teeth in self-depreciation. He bent down and picked them back up before returning them into their sheathes where they belonged. He moved over to his locker and opened it up before placing them in their locks and closing the door.

"Hmm." Naruto gently prodded his head to see what the damage was and felt the gaping hole in his bandana. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Damn, and I like this one." Now it was ruined with blood stains and a big hole forever. Ugh...whatever. Should go get a replacement before coming back.

With one hand covering the area he was hit Naruto quickly walked out of the locker room and made his way through the halls. There were classes going on at the moment so not many people were wandering the halls. But there were still enough people hanging out that he garnered quite a few looks and whispers as the students asked who the guy with the bloody face and whiskers was.

Pfft. Now this was a story to tell the others when he got back.

He finally reached his team's room and swiped his Scroll to unlock the door. The moment it opened he pushed past it and gave it a quick flick to close but didn't hear it connect. He walked over to his bed, carefully untying the knot in the back before pulling the ruined fabric off his hair. He inspected it, seeing the tear and blood stains that colored the hole deep red before groaning, "Woah. That looks worse than I thought it did."

Wait. Wasn't his face and hair covered in blood or something?

Deciding not to take the chance, the blond unzipped his vest and tossed it to the side with a reluctant sigh before heading into the bathroom. He stepped over and turned the shower on, giving it a moment to warm up before dunking his head beneath the flowing water. He firmly rubbed his hair and watched as some flakes and drops of blood flowed with the water down the drain.

He turned it off and flicked his hair back before giving it a quick brush. There. Much better.

He grabbed a towel and stepped over to the sink to dry his face and make sure there wasn't anymore plasma covering his features. He gave a delightful sigh after he finished cleaning and looked himself in the mirror and grinned. He started counting off his functions to make sure he didn't risk a brain injury, "Eyes." Yep. "Nose." Yep. "Ears." Yep.

"Ears."

He looked up in the mirror at the two fluffy yellow ears with white fur at the tips popping out of his hair. He watched them twitch a little before laying up and down on his head.

"Yep."

Naruto smiled and finished cleaning himself before cleaning out both sets of ears to make sure they didn't have any blood in them. Plus the top ones were itchy from lying on his hair all day.

"So that's what they look like."

Naruto shot up immediately when the new voice interrupted the silence of the room. He turned around in a panic and with alarm in his eyes.

Only to catch the sight of Blake Belladonna standing aside from the door frame with a neutral look on her face.

The tension in Naruto's shoulders immediately slacked when he realized it was her standing in their room and they stood there in silence. His ears twitched a few times and the NKTS leader shuffled around a little before greeting her rather lackadaisically, "Uh...hey."

"Hi." Blake motioned to the front door, "You left your door open."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense." Naruto threw the towel into their hamper before raising an eyebrow to the bow-wearing girl, "Wait, why are you here?"

"I asked Goodwitch if I could be excused to go to the bathroom." Blake crossed her arms and looked around the room, "It was actually to calm Ruby and the others down by saying I'd go check on you. They were really worried about you."

Naruto frowned at the idea that he made his friends worry about him before tilting his head, "Wait. Then why aren't you looking in the infirmary?"

"Why are you not in the infirmary?" Blake retorted, getting Naruto to give a small shrug of his shoulders at her point. She continued, "I was heading that way before I heard all the talk about some guy covered in blood walking through the halls. I just assumed and found you here."

Naruto laughed and scoffed, "Pfft, 'covered in blood'. They make it sound like I just came out of a slasher flick."

"Well there was a fair amount of blood." Blake pointed out.

"Just on my hands." Naruto argued before he thought and looked at the beauty in front of him, "Can you look at my hair and check there isn't any left? I wanna make sure I got it all."

Blake gave him an incredulous look but he paid it no mind as he leaned down with his head facing toward her. She sighed before giving his hair a quick look over, noticing his yellow ears wriggle before nodding, "You're clean."

He popped back up with a smile, "Cool." He walked past her and over to his bed before kneeling down and pulling out a small box beneath it. He opened it up to reveal a myriad of bandanas with different designs and colors to them. He had a surplus of bandanas? Well, he did wear a different one every day.

Should she try getting some bows in different colors too?

No. She liked the black one.

Naruto looked over his choices before his fox ears twitched and he sat up in realization. He sent her a quick look before noting, "You don't seem that surprised to find out I'm a Faunus?" He raised an eyebrow, "Is it because you're just not that flappable or..."

"I guessed you were one awhile back." Blake answered, getting a look of surprise off Naruto's face that conveyed he had no idea. She merely shrugged off his shock, "I deducted from the way you ate so much food like you were always famished. And how you spotted us sitting in the dark waiting for you to return after you had an argument with the rest of your team." She then nodded towards his ears, "But I confirmed it when I caught you falling out of the window during our raid on the Relief building. Your bandanna slipped off and I spotted your ears for just a moment. Fox, right?"

Naruto gave her a flat stare. Geez, did she have to be so smart?

Blake folded her arms and responded with her own question, "You didn't seem that surprised that I found out you're a Faunus? You looked panicked for a moment but when you saw it was me you seemed to relax."

"Oh." Naruto thought for a moment before he gave a small smile and shrugged, "Well that's because you're a Faunus too, right?"

Blake's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the way he so casually revealed her secret as her bow twitched.

Her eyes were clearly prodding into him and he raised his hands defensively, "Sorry, I just sorta noticed something too. Like how you're always eating tuna salads, and how you can read so well without a light, and your bow twitches sometimes when something unexpected happens." The black-haired girl immediately went rigid as her hands went up to her bow to stop it from twitching.

Stupid tic. All these years and that still happened sometimes.

Naruto looked up at her intently as he hummed in thought, "Let's see...keep to yourself. You like things quiet. Eat salads..." The blond Faunus was getting quieter and quieter trying to figure out what she was before he snapped his fingers, "You're a turtle!"

Blake gave him a mix of accusing, incredulous, angry, and exasperated all rolled up into one scowl/glare/pout she could consider her masterpiece. She got the immediate result of Naruto's smile dropping and his ears laid on top his head before she sighed, "I'm a cat Faunus."

"Cat. That explains all the fish." Naruto repeated under his breath, disappointed he didn't go with his second choice. He sighed before he tied his black bandana over his head. He popped up on his feet with a smile and looked at the girl expectantly, "Tada! How do I look?"

Blake looked up at his bandana, her stoic mask not changing in the least before nodding, "You look the same."

His shoulders slumped in disappointment, "Well aren't you a flatterer."

"I don't know what you were expecting." Blake pointed out before she walked past him and through the door, "Come on. Everyone is waiting for us back in the amphitheater."

"Yeah but...you could say it looks cool or something." He mumbled as he followed behind while picking up his orange vest.

Maybe Ruby should have been the one to come and check on him. They could both go on and on about the cool things they do and bounce off each other with compliments.

Naruto closed the door behind him, making sure the lock actually clicked this time before stepping up beside the black-haired Faunus before she walked too far away. Him and Blake started walking alongside each other down the halls before he asked, "Were any of the others going in to fight after I left?"

Blake shook her head negatively, "No. The last I saw before leaving was two other people getting called on to spar. And even that was hard to hear when everyone was talking to me to make sure I checked if you were hurt or not." Blake stated very evenly and sparing him a look, "Everyone was very worried about you."

Naruto felt a weird mix of emotions fill his stomach hearing Blake confirm that again. He felt bad that he made his friends panic and worry about him because of his stupid mistake. There were probably not a lot of people in this school that were used to seeing someone bleed like that when their Aura usually protected them. So seeing him get that hurt probably caused a lot of worry for his friends. But at the same time he felt kinda happy that there were people worrying about him. He felt crappy thinking that but still...there was a bit of joy in his heart that he had met so many people that were genuinely concerned about him.

He gave a small chuckle before asking her earnestly, "Why do you think that is? I mean maybe I'm just not familiar with having so many friends at once but I didn't think they'd get so worried about me so fast."

She couldn't entirely answer that question herself. This was the first time in her life she had bonded with so many people she would call friends and acquaintances. So this was all a very new experience for her as well. But if he was looking for a reason why they would be so worried so quickly then she believed she had an answer, "Maybe it's because we've all fought together for so long and so closely now that they're worried when one of us gets hurt. After going through initiation and capturing that man Wilsk, our groups have become very trusting with each other."

He never thought that in just a short period of time he would make more friends and comrades to stand with than he could even imagine. And he never believed they would go so far to help him. They were his friends at first but after hearing about what he and Sasuke's did under Wilsk's employ...he firmly believed they would wipe their hands of them forever. But they did the thing he never believed they would do...they trusted and helped them fix their past. They didn't need to. They could have just abandoned them and he was expecting them to. But they helped and because of that...

He would do whatever he could to help them in the future if they asked him to.

"I still can't believe you all did that for us." He said quietly beneath his breath as a smile came over his face. He saw Blake turn her head to give him her attention as he gave her a quick nod, "Thanks again for helping us...I don't know if I'll ever be able to say that enough."

"I don't know how many more times I can hear it." Blake responded, getting a nervous but light chuckle out of Naruto despite the words. She understood his gratitude. Maybe the others would revel in his appreciation for a while longer but for her once was enough and each time after that felt gratuitous. Someone they knew was in a bind and they decided to help him. It wasn't a very complicated process to read through. Well...at least now it isn't...

Not too long ago before she came here she probably wouldn't have had that same mindset. She would have thought that someone who made a mistake had to face their demons and handle it themselves. But now...maybe she could better empathize with how they felt. How scary and chilling it must be to be faced with a bad choice from your past. And how overwhelming it must feel to have people side with you and help despite knowing. She wondered...before quickly shaking her head and banishing the thought before it burrowed into her head. That was behind her. She didn't want to dwell in that past right now.

Blake tentatively spared a look up at Naruto's bandana and a question left her lips before she could even mull it over, "Does your team know? About you being a Faunus?"

The ease on Naruto's face quickly changed to conflict and trepidation. He looked aside before shaking his head, "No. I haven't told them yet." The guilt at keeping that secret from his friends was evident in his voice before he spared her a quick look, "What about you?"

Blake shook her head, "I couldn't. I mean if you haven't noticed...I have Weiss Schnee on my team."

"Oh." It quickly dawned on Naruto what she meant when he remembered the controversy and rumors surrounding the Schnee family. He wanted to remind her that Weiss was only a teenager and probably had nothing to do with the company's actual business, let alone its workforce care. But he knew that was probably just pining for a silver lining in a very big, very dense, dark cloud. Still, she couldn't be blamed for that, "Well-I mean-has she said anything bad about Faunus before? Like she was angry or something?"

Blake shook her head, "No, she doesn't talk about them. And I mean that like she mostly avoids getting into conversations about Faunus in general. Plus if I did show myself to them, I can't take that back." Blake's eyes took on a modicum of sadness at the prospect of revealing herself and her team rejecting her completely. She didn't feel like they would but she had assumed things before and if she was wrong..., "I can't imagine how well our teamwork would continue if I told them what I was and Weiss refused to work alongside me ever again."

"Well, you never know. You might be surprised." Naruto optimistically stated with a shrug, "I mean me and Sasuke are best friends and I'm sure that's pretty crazy if you think about it. He knows I'm a Faunus and he keeps my secret too."

Blake's eyes narrowed just slightly as she looked aside in thought. She never would have thought that when she arrived at Beacon she would be in the same year as a descendent of the Uchiha family. It was no secret what the Uchiha did under the orders of the old Kingdoms. In fact they used to be depicted as heroes before those stories were deemed too offensive and controversial for general telling. And there are Faunus that still treat them like boogeymen. If some Faunus met him today they'd probably be scared, angry, or try and hurt him out of retaliation. And if they knew...

...

When Blake first crossed paths with him the day they arrived at Beacon, she felt a strange chill run up her back before looking behind her to see the red and white fan insignia she had heard so much about. She was worried and believed the worst for a moment...before he just silently walked away to head into the main building. And ever since then she had just instinctively kept him at arm's length.

When Yang introduced them at the relic site she barely even acknowledged his presence before walking away. They worked alongside each other to detain and distract the Alpha Wolf on the cliffside platform but they never discussed strategy. Their teams were extremely close and met with each other almost every day, yet she couldn't remember a single time in the last two months where she talked with the swordsman.

She hated it. She hated feeling this fear and uncertainty each time she spotted him. And she couldn't even blame it on him because he had personally done nothing to earn this ire. It was like it was genetic. Like it was formed inside her. And that made her feel even worse, like she was dirty or tainted.

She hated believing this was a baseless fear and anxiety or hatred. It made her feel like the horrible monsters and degenerates that she condemned for hating the Faunus for no other reason than they were different. She had always stated that those people were wrong. That they needed to open their eyes and realize the world had changed around them but she was no different. Or maybe she was different...and this insecurity formed for a whole different reason...

Maybe she was so uncomfortable around Sasuke because if these were like ancient times...if he had to do what his family did...and she was punished for what she did...

Then they would undoubtedly be facing each other with the intent to kill.

...

"I owe him a lot."

Blake came out of her thought process and looked over at Naruto after he had finally spoken, no doubt realizing what she was thinking due to her abrupt silence after talking about Sasuke. He smiled while remembering his old memories with his best friend, "I didn't really like him at all when I first met him, sorta thought he was a stick in the mud. And God he was so weird, always going to bed early and waking up before the sun even came up. I couldn't sleep properly around him at all. He hadn't even played a video game before he met me! I thought he was so annoying." Naruto bemoaned before he chuckled, "But after a while he started lighting up. I showed him some movies and shows we could watch that he really liked. He started talking more and I got to know more about him. I even bought a game system for our hideouts so we could fight each other when we were bored."

Blake saw a glum light fill his eyes for a moment as his tone grew somber, "And some of the jobs Wilsk made us do for him...they were hard and dangerous. At any moment during those two years we could be ordered to steal from other criminals or gangs or even cops and the government. I thought I would die more than once when I was going into those places blind. But he saved my life way more than I could count. He pointed out some flaws I made and even trained with me to help hone _Gatling Stormer_ when I was starting out with them." A smile returned to Naruto's face, "At a point where I thought I was alone and wanted to disappear away from everything else...I got a brother to stand by my side no matter what." Him and Blake hadn't noticed they stopped in the hallway while talking before he inquired, "Do you hate Weiss? Even knowing everything about the Schnee family do you hate being around her?"

Blake thought intently for a moment before speaking quietly, "I wasn't comfortable with it when we were first appointed teams. And I thought she was kind of annoying when I met her...but now..." Blake was silent for a moment before shaking her head, "No. I don't hate her. And I don't hate being around her." Blake seemed to hesitate as her face took on a very faint pink hue, "She's...I consider her my friend."

Naruto had a small grin hearing her admit that in such a shy and quiet voice. He could relate, remembering how strange it felt when he first realized he and Sasuke became friends. It was strange making your first real friendship with someone you never expected to. But then again friendship was sorta weird that way. He never would have thought he would make two new best friends out of the dork who was vomiting in a trash can after landing and a spaz who had caused an explosion by sneezing Dust on an heiress but he did. He shrugged, "Then maybe the time you can tell her who you really are isn't that far off."

...

"Why did you decide to wear a bandana?"

Naruto opened his eyes and saw the questioning look on the black-haired girl's face. His smile quickly faded and he avoided her amber eyes as quickly as possible, "I have my reasons. Just like you probably have ones for wearing a bow." He seemed more reserved to talk about this subject than she had expected as he asked in return, "Why did you decide to wear your bow?"

It was fairly simple. He probably wore a bandana for the same effect. The reason why she wore her bow was because she wanted people to see her for who she was, not what she was. She didn't want others to focus on her being a Faunus, and believed the only way to avoid that issue was to just hide them away from the peering eye. It was an old trick that had been used by Faunus for years, all the way back when they hid their features so they could find sanctuary in the Kingdom walls.

But that wasn't what he asked. And that's not what she alluded to either. She was wondering why someone who seemed so chipper and carefree refused to reveal his heritage to his teammates when he seemed like the kind of person who would.

He asked why she decided to wear something that hid her Faunus side from the open in the first place. And just like him, she had to have a moment in the past that made her decide to hide herself like this. Her reason...

The memories of a shrinking red-haired man in a white mask staring at her as they grew farther away flashed in her mind.

Blake didn't answer, and instead looked away from him just like he did from her a moment ago.

Naruto relaxed his shoulders and scratched his cheek in the uncomfortable silence that settled between them. He coughed to get her attention again and nervously stated when she turned back to him, "I have reasons I wear this on my head. And when I think about it, I sorta just-um-clam up I guess. It's...not a fun story. And I'm guessin' from how you just looked away, it wasn't for you either." Blake avoided meeting his gaze as she felt her eyes softened in reluctant agreement, "So if you really wanna know why I wear mine, I tell you..."

He hesitated before finally finishing, "If you tell me why you wear yours too."

...

It suddenly became a silent, heavy staring contest between the two Faunus as Blake was either stunned or looking at him blankly after his statement. Naruto felt a lot more visual with his nervousness as he was cracking under the cat girl's look.

After a moment Blake closed her eyes and let out a small sigh as Naruto relaxed his shoulders in relief. Blake let out a small laugh, either out of derision or amusement before she kept walking down the hallway and saying over her shoulders, "Sure. Let's do that sometime."

She either meant that in a sarcastic, never-gonna-happen manner or an earnest, yet cautious tone for the future. He couldn't tell. It was hard to discern with her.

After that awkward silence had ended between them he followed after her to walk beside her in another, more bearable silence. As they rounded the corner and saw the amphitheater in sight, Blake broke the silence again and asked something that had been on her mind, "What did you and Yang talk about after you finished your sparring in that first week?"

He looked down at her in confusion and wondered, "Where did that come from?"

"I just remembered something Yang and I were talking about after the class had ended." Blake answered in a calm voice, "Something about keeping secrets and how they can affect you and the ones around you. She seemed pretty conflicted with the idea at the time, and I don't remember anyone else asking her something about it when we sat together. So I thought you and her might have talked about it when you were coming back up to the seats." She inquired, "What secret was she talking about?"

Naruto's face twisted in annoyance and reluctance as he looked at their surroundings to see no one else in earshot. He took a sharp breath in through his nose before roughly answering, "We were talking about my Semblance."

Blake's interest piqued at the topic as she quickly gave word to the thought, "Regeneration is a basic function of Aura, even if it is minimal or temporary. The only type of Semblance I can imagine Regeneration being a part of is High-Speed Regeneration, like the restoration of organs and limbs, and I'm not even sure if that type of skill exists. And yours is just faster than most but not that fast."

Geez she was observant. And too smart for his good. He sighed reluctantly before admitting, "It's a side-effect."

Side-effect. She slightly tilted her head, "Your Semblance has side-effects?"

"That's what I call them." He shrugged, "My Aura doesn't protect me instinctively and instead travels immediately to my injuries the moment I get hurt. So I built my fighting style around that, avoiding injury as much as possible and minimizing Aura consumption."

Blake was perplexed by this harmful and self-suffering method the blond's Semblance was manifesting itself. She thought for a moment before realizing he was still only referring to the side-effects, "What does your Semblance do?"

"Doesn't matter." Naruto quickly and pointedly answered.

Blake furrowed her eyes a little at his indignant answer. Of course it mattered! Did he not realize how many situations he had gotten into recently where his body would have broken completely if not for his healing? Being dropped through several stories of a building. Punched into a wall. His head nearly split open a few minutes ago!

"It's nothing good." Blake came out of her thoughts when she heard him mutter those words under his breath, "I can't use my Semblance to do anything or help anyone, so I don't use it."

"Some would say denying your Semblance is forsaking a part of yourself."

"Well you are yourself your biggest critic." Blake looked at him with surprise at that insightful statement as he looked up in thought, "Wilsk said that to me once. He was a psychotic asshole but I guess he could be wise sometimes, when he wasn't totally demeaning us." He gave her a quick look and shrugged, "I wouldn't mind having a Semblance like yours actually. Making clones of yourself sounds like it would be really cool. Unless you go through with that whole being your biggest critic idea with your clones." He joked, "I don't think I could stand hearing several of me telling me what I do wrong all the time."

He laughed and was hoping to get a giggle or even a slight scoff out of the more serious girl but to no avail. He opened his eyes again to see the girl looking down at the ground in thought with her eyes a shade softer. Her thoughts drifted to self-deprecation for a moment before shaking her head and looking at the blond, "You're too earnest and willing to face your problems. I doubt a Semblance like mine would suit you."

That...honestly sounded like she was criticizing herself more than it was she was complimenting him.

***Clap*Clap***

Blake looked over in time to see Naruto patting his cheeks and give a quick shake over his body. He gave a content sigh before patting his belly, "Well I'm starving. Fixing my head and having crazy long talks does that to me." He subtly motioned to the amphitheater, "You think we can sneak off to the cafeteria without getting noticed by the professor."

A small, ghost of a smile came to Blake's face before she shook her head, "You might but I was just excused to go to the bathroom. If I'm taking this long just to go on a bathroom break people are going to start thinking I'm in the midst of my...time of the month." The Faunus girl wanted to kick herself for letting slip something so stupid and personal in front of someone before she looked over at the confused expression on Naruto's face. He tilted his head in befuddlement and she sighed in relief at the his cluelessness before motioning back to the dueling stages, "The others are going to be worried if they don't know immediately that you're okay."

He popped back up in realization, "Oh crap, that's right! We've been taking forever getting here and they're still worrying." Naruto seemed antsy for a moment before asking the bow-wearing girl, "Did they say anything about when I get back?"

"Your partner was annoyed because he thought you'd stroll in with a smile and boast about winning your fight and recovering from a broken skull."

A cheeky grin came to Naruto's face and a chortle escaped between his teeth, "Oh~? Well, I'd hate to disappoint." He made sure his bandana was secured tightly before speeding off to make his return. He called over his shoulder, "Thanks Blake! Now c'mon, let's go mess with them!"

Blake just rolled her eyes exhaustively before following at a much slower pace. She was good like this.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby didn't like this at all. There was an awesome fight with big explosions happening in front of her and she couldn't even concentrate on it. One of her friends was in the infirmary, and her teammate was taking super long to give them an update! Worry crept into the hooded-girl's head again as she gave another quick glance back at the stairwell where she hoped her friends would be arriving at any moment.

"You're still looking." Weiss pointed out.

"Huh?"

Weiss turned to give a critical look at her partner that caused the younger girl to shrink in her seat, "You've been looking back at the stairs this whole time. You aren't doing yourself any favors constantly worrying like that."

"But this is taking forever!" Ruby whined as she tried to rationalize her worry to the heiress, "Blake said she was going to check on him real quick and come back! But it's been like hours-"

"Twenty-five minutes."

"-and nothing!" Ruby said in distress, "Blake said she was just going to the bathroom but I don't think the professor is going to believe it took her this long to pee! Unless she was really, really holding it in."

Ruby's anxiety shook when Yang suddenly patted her back and tried to reassure her, "Maybe Blake really did just have to go to the bathroom. She might be taking this long because it's a bad flow or something."

...

Weiss slapped the blonde's hand and she pulled back in defense, "Oh unclench, it's a joke."

Ruby was going to offer to go check on them as well before she finally noticed the color orange come into her peripheral. She leaned over, causing the others to turn and look as well as Naruto appeared at the top of the stairs and waved at them with cheer, "Hey! Guess who kicked ass and survived a broken skull!"

Kiba palmed his face, "Oh my god. How did I call that?"

He came over their way and gave Yang and Nora a quick high five before sitting down with his team. The blonde brawler looked back at him and inquired, "And where is my partner exactly?"

"She's catching up. She was right behind me I swear." He sat back and relaxed in his spot, "So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Fighting and punching and beating!" Nora responded with her regular brand of exuberance as she turned to look back at him excitedly, "What did the nurse say?! Did they have to give you a procedure?! Were you operated on?"

Did he go through a surgical procedure in the last half-hour since he left?

Naruto grinned and nodded, "Oh yeah, it was nasty. There was blood everywhere. There was squelching and rubbing and a bunch of other nasty noises while they were putting the bone back in place."

"*Huergh*"

They all looked over to see Jaune with a clammy face and covering his mouth in fear of barfing. He saw their stares and tried to settle his stomach, "I-I'm fine. Please continue with your story of setting bone and skull-*huergh*."

Blake finally made it up the stairs to see the rest of her team and their group of friends listening to Naruto as he playful forged a tale of what happened. She silently made her way back to the front row and sat beside her partner while watching the stage for the last fight. Goodwitch sent a quick look their way to see what all the noise was about and saw she and Naruto had returned. Blake, being the only one looking forward at the stage, got her attention to show she had returned as the teacher gave a small nod.

"So~..." The black-haired girl turned to see her partner had addressed her with that carefree smile on her face, "Anything cool happen while you were gone?"

Blake sent a quick look back to see Naruto was still telling some fantastical story to entertain their friends as he smiled. A quick thought went back into everything they had discussed on the way here...

She turned back to Yang and shook her head, "Nothing important."

Yang groaned, "Oh my god Blake. You and I really need to have a conversation about making up interesting stories. I'm gonna stick you in a room with Ruby so she can teach you how to make a boring trip into some awesome, emotional tale of intrigue."

Blake's eyes went dull, "Oh yay. I can't wait."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Coco was awesome. Yatsuhashi was awesome. Mercury was awesome. Emerald was awesome. Qrow was awesome. Winter was awesome. Flynt was awesome. Neon was awesome. Penny is more awesome. Weiss is more awesome. Yang is more awesome.**_

_**This volume. Just-just awesome.**_

_**So, I totally blanked on this the last time I updated but if there are still any team names you want to offer I'm still open.**_

_**So, that's the end of Day-to-Day Hunter Arc. The next arc start with the next chapter and hopefully I can update those fairly fast so we can get though them to the cool stuff I have ready. **_

_**Hope you enjoyed this little discussion between Blake and Naruto on their stroll back. I totally don't have follow ups to this chapter already set for the future. Wink wink, nudge nudge.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	26. Iron Blood

Hunting or Bust

Dust 21: Iron Blood

Okay well that happened.

What happens next in the series is actually going to pretty seriously affect what I have planned.

Anyway...

Let the Iron Heart Arc begin.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Tenten was knocked back with incredible force and a small yelp escaped her lips as she tried to right herself in the air. She had a rough landing and skid along the floor before coming to a halt. She concentrated, creating several throwing knives in her hand from her Steel Semblance, and whipping her arm up to throw them with surprising precision. But it was all for naught as her opponent knocked them aside with almost no effort at all.

Figures.

Tenten created a pair of short swords without hilts along her arms inside her sleeves before letting them slip into her hands. She still liked to keep up the image that these were all hidden weapons somewhere in her clothes. It kept people guessing and made her look cool.

She wasn't sure why she did it right now considering her opponent already knew about her Steel Semblance but whatever.

The bun-haired girl gave a quick yell and sprung to her feet before charging at her opponent. She saw her get into a battle stance and Tenten pulled her arms back to gain more room to swing. She swung up and struck one weapon into the shield with a resounding thud before being pushed back by the shield. She used the movement to turn and strike with her other sword but her opponent riposted her, parrying the short blade before spinning and slamming her shield into Tenten's chest. Her Aura protected her but Tenten was still stumbling back after being winded by the rough attack.

Tenten found her footing before twisting around and throwing the blades out to catch her opponent off guard. But it was pointless as her opponent jumped and spun between the blades to dodge before using her twisting momentum to spike her shield into Tenten's legs and knocking her to the ground as the shield returned to her hand.

Tenten groaned and let the stinging, faint tingle through her legs fade before looking up at her adversary.

Pyrrha stood a few feet away and over her opponent, and even though Tenten was on the ground the redhead didn't drop her guard for an instant. Her gaze was focused as she held up her arm and let the shield snap back over her arm. She was like an indomitable wall. A force of nature. Every time she made a move Pyrrha was already moving in a way to dodge and counter perfectly. And somehow the throwing knives and skill she had so much belief in always missed or diverted away from her target before landing.

That name wasn't for show. Pyrrha really was an invincible girl. The best of this generation.

She didn't get that cover on Pumkin Pete's for nothing.

Tenten clicked her teeth before keeping one hand under her clothes to keep out of Pyrrha's sight as several knives slipped between her fingers. She vaulted off the ground and threw the knives out to distract the amazon as she changed the Aura around her hands and legs into Steel.

Pyrrha remained calm and shifted _Miló_ into its sword form and swatted the knives away in one fluid movement. The projectiles clattered on the ground and Pyrrha used that moment to spot Tenten trying to get some distance between them.

It wasn't going to work.

Pyrrha dashed forward and cleared the distance between them in an instant. She pulled _Miló_ back and thrust her blade forward to catch Tenten's shoulder but was averted when Tenten held her hand out and the two points scrapped against each other like metal. Pyrrha was surprised for an instant until she composed herself and noticed that Tenten had covered her hands in metal.

Tenten clenched her metal-coated fists and started throwing punches that bounced off Pyrrha's shield as she blocked them. The warrior would drop her guard and bring her blade out from her side to swipe at Tenten but the brunette countered each swing with her palm. The two ladies exchanged a quick flurry of strikes and counters to hit the other, Tenten fairing less well trying to protect herself while Pyrrha persisted forward.

Pyrrha spun on her feet and extended her sword into a javelin before trying to sweep Tenten's legs. But the bun-haired girl raised her legs and let the two metals clash before the redhead spun in the other direction. Tenten brought her other leg up and let the spear bounce off her shin before extending her leg and catching the shaft of the javelin under her foot.

She forced it down and pinned the javelin to the ground, causing Pytrha to lurch forward from the sudden movement. Tenten turned on the end of the weapon to land a spin kick on Pyrrha's exposed head but the champion activated the jet on the end of _Miló_ and jerked the javelin forward. The sudden force knocked Tenten off her feet and flung her forward before she flipped and landed on the ground. Only to get attacked again when Pyrrha charged forward and slammed her shield squarely in Tenten's chest.

Tenten was winded and felt her Aura surge from the attack as she was sent tumbling back. She landed on her butt and stumbled back up to her feet as Pyrrha came running at her to finish the fight. Tenten shifted the metal over one hand into a knife that she quickly tossed that bounced off _Akoú__o_ harmlessly. She dashed forward, catching the knife out of the air before swiping at Pyrrha and making her duck. Tenten followed through with the movement, spinning in the air and kicking _Miló_ out of her hands before landing and throwing out a jab to strike Pyrrha with her Steel hand.

The redhead narrowed her eyes at the fist sailing forward to strike her and quickly raised her hand to block it. Tenten's punch seemed to slow down and diverge to the side, completely missing Pyrrha altogether and pulling Tenten off her feet.

Pyrrha slammed _Akoú__o_ into the bun-haired girl's chin, causing her to stumble back as the redhead kicked her spear back into her hand. She spun around and swiped Tenten's leg out from under her before bringing it back down on Tenten's head, knocking her flat into the floor as the tone echoed and indicated the Aura bar was in the red.

Pyrrha was still in the green without any noticeable difference in the bar.

Tenten had fallen dangerously into the red.

The lights turned back on and Glynda came walking back out onto the stage. The blonde professor nodded to Pyrrha and voiced how impressive the young woman's fighting had been, "Excellent showing once again, Ms. Nikos."

Pyrrha graciously nodded to the teacher, "Thank you, Professor."

Glynda nodded back and then turned to Tenten as she groggily pushed herself up to her feet, "You had a fine showing as well, Ms. Tamura. You have definitely improved since your first sparring match. However I would suggest you take some time to develop a tactic or strategy to execute before coming into a fight. You show quite a level of adaptability but as this match has shown, that can only take you so far in a fight."

Tenten gingerly rubbed the crick in her neck and gave a small laugh, "Don't need to tell me twice."

Glynda stepped forward and addressed the whole amphitheater, "Okay students, I believe that will be enough for now. I'll let you out a little early today." There was a resounding cheer and clap from the students before the blonde teacher whipped her riding crop and shut them up immediately. The students flinched and gave their undivided attention to the no-nonsense teacher, "However I would like to remind you that at the beginning of class next Monday you will be turning in your essays. If you don't have them when you walk into the amphitheater, they will officially be late." The cheer the students had a moment ago disappeared with the warning of looming homework before she walked off stage, "You are dismissed."

As the students talked and their words filled together into a huge mumble, Pyrrrha quickly came to Tenten's side with worry on her face, "I'm sorry about that Tenten. I think I got a little too forceful with the fight."

"It's cool." The brunette smiled and tried to relieve her friend of any guilt as she rubbed her neck, "I just got a little case of whiplash but I'm totally fine." She tapped her neck a little before asking, "Hey did you sweep my leg and then smack me into the floor?"

Pyrrha shamefully nodded her head, "Yes."

"Okay so I didn't imagine that happening." Tenten mumbled defeatedly before smiling, "Oh well, I guess I still got a ways to go before I reach your level."

Pyrrha holstered her shield and sword while shaking her head, "N-not at all. You were fantastic! The way you switch between weapons is staggering and the addition of physical strikes into your pattern is very innovative! You were amazing!"

"Thanks." Tenten let out an unconvinced chuckle as she finally felt her neck relax and shrugged, "But I still don't measure up to you at all." The brunette seemed disappointed for a moment before sighing, "Well, you're-like-the best fighter in our class so I guess doing this well is still pretty awesome."

Pyrrha looked saddened by Tenten's words before the bun-haired girl smiled and walked towards the exit, "C'mon, the others are probably waiting for us. And I could use something to eat after that fight."

Tenten headed towards the lockers to change and Pyrrha stayed behind, frozen on the stage as everyone else headed out to their next location. The redhead's eyes softened as she seemed crestfallen by what her friend had said. She wanted to tell Tenten otherwise. That she wasn't that great. That she had done a spectacular job fighting like that.

But once again her tongue felt tied. Her argument died in her mouth before it could even be heard. And she had received a praise she didn't feel like she deserved. But she had no right to argue it. Because that would be spitting in the face of every person that had helped her get to this point along the way.

Pyrrha, alone on stage and the last to leave the room, gave a sigh of reservation before following after Tenten to meet with their friends.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"That was an awesome fight you two!" Yang complimented the two ladies as they were digging into their meals.

Tenten and Pyrrha were both honored by Yang's praise as Ruby gushed over their battle. The red and black-haired girl bounced in her seat with excitement, "You two were so cool! Tenten, all those knives and swords and stuff you made were amazing! And Pyrrha! When you switch between your forms so quickly and fight with them-oooooooo~, so cool~."

"Ruby, you're drooling."

She immediately wiped her mouth, "Sorry."

Kiba looked towards the redhead amazon and asked, "So, you think by the time the festival tournament comes around, you'll have it in the bag?"

Pyrrha gave a small smile and shook her head, "Not at all. I'll do my best when the time comes but it's silly to think I will just win against any opponent so easily."

Kiba nodded in agreement, "That's good. This world is huge and it's filled with weird, strong people."

Tenten shrugged, "Yeah, but Pyrrha's a world renowned fighter. That's gotta make a few people around Remnant pretty wary."

"Oh, but have you guys heard about all the people that are gonna be in the festival!" Nora excitedly stated as the ginger girl looked up in thought and started counting off her fingers, "I heard Mistral has a bunch of super strong new teams coming in this year! Oh oh, and I heard Atlas has a super secret weapon that's gonna put them ahead of everyone else this year!"

Weiss proudly hummed, "No surprise there. It is the most technologically advanced and growing Kingdom in the world. Don't be surprised if that secret weapon puts everyone to shame."

"Bet they'll just put clothes on the robot units and pass them off as students."

"Oh, but get this..." Nora leaned over the table like she was telling a secret and whispered to them, "I heard there's a really strong guy out in Vacuo that's a shoe-in to win the tournament. Apparently...he can move dirt."

...

...

...

The others looked between each other in confusion. They were expecting something a lot more impressive from the energetic girl than just moving dirt. Naruto quirked his brow, "Um...you sure there isn't anything else to that rumor, Nora?"

The titled her head, "What do you mean?"

"He means that moving dirt isn't exactly a ground breaking achievement for being strong." Ren cleared up.

Nora realized what they meant and shrugged, "Oh well-pfft-yeah when you think about it like that then it's not all that impressive! But do you guys have any idea how much dirt there is in the world?! A lot! Also I think the actual thing I heard was there was a guy who 'Could move the ground beneath us and change the shifting sands to his will'. But moving dirt is way easier to remember."

...

"Okay~..." Ruby smiled and looked around again, "Well whatever super strong teams, robots with wigs, or some guy with a dirt comes at us, we'll show 'em how Team RWBY is the best, most awesome team this year! Right guys!"

Yang cheered, "Right sis!"

Blake and Weiss just sat there silently as they didn't wish to boast as much as their partners. Ruby and Yang shared a look before reaching over and pushing their respective partners' arm up to cheer as well. Ruby groaned, "Yeah~, Team RWBY."

"Second best."

They quickly turned to Naruto and Kiba as the boys sat back in their seats smugly. The two boys shared a look before sitting in their seats properly as the tattooed boy shrugged, "Yeah I mean you guys are super tough and cool and everything...but only one team is gonna win the tournament."

Naruto nodded, "And that's gonna be us. Count on that."

Ruby gave a cheeky smirk and raised her eyebrow, "Oh~, is that a challenge?"

"That's a guarantee." Naruto boasted, "We've got a metal woman. A rabid psycho. You've seen what I've gotten back up from. And Sasuke, the guy that fought Pyrrha to a draw. And we ain't given up until we win the Vytal Festival Tournament. Count on that."

Yang chuckled, "Aw~, it's cute watching idiots dream."

"These idiots are going all the way to victory!" Kiba smiled, "And don't think we'll be going easy on you when we cross paths!"

"Hoho!" Ruby stood up and pointed at Naruto and Kiba challengingly, "But it will be you that we do not go easy on when we fight each other in the tournament!"

"Bring it!"

"That's enough." Weiss yanked on Ruby's hood to pull her back down into her seat. The hooded girl gave a hoarse cough before the heiress dryly stared between her and the others, "How about instead of provoking each other and making baseless proclamations, you all focus on getting better for when the tournament actually comes around, hmm?"

"Geez, can't have any fun, can you?"

"Take a joke Weiss."

"Lighten up."

"Ice Queen."

"There it is again! Stop calling me..." Weiss quit seething and took a deep breath through her nose before standing up from her seat, "I'm going back to our room. I'm tired and I'm calling it a day."

"Me too." Blake closed her book and stood up alongside the pale princess before stifling a small yawn. She nodded in agreement with the ivory-haired girl, "I'm tired as well."

She and Weiss started making their way back to their room before Yang and Ruby started following after. The blonde called out, "Hey, don't go leaving us so quick."

"Hold on!" Ruby called out before waving good night to NKTS and JNPR, "Bye guys! See ya tomorrow!"

They waved the all-female team good night before the short, energetic Nora stretched her arms out and yawned as well. She smacked her lips a little with hazy eyes, "I'm sleepy too. I think I'm gonna head back to the dorm."

"I should as well." Ren noted as he stood up to join his friend, "I need to make sure you don't fall asleep in the hallway on the way there again."

"Oh-pfft-ah-pfft-c'mon Ren!" Nora bashfully giggled and waved off his concern, "Just because that happened 2 or 3 or 7 times doesn't mean I'm gonna do it again!" She punched his shoulder and laughed, "Silly."

"Well, best to come along to make sure." Ren stated before nodding goodbye to everyone as Nora gleefully waved them goodbye.

Pyrrha looked at her partner and motioned towards their teammates, "I'm just going to finish my meal. You can go to the room as well if you want."

Jaune shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. I can wait." He shrugged with a goofy smile, "I mean considering all the junk you stick around for with me then it's no problem just to sit around and relax while eating."

"Aww~, ain't you sweet Lady Killer." Kiba joked before spinning out of his seat and scratching his head, "I'm done. I'll see you guys back in the room. Later."

Sasuke looked over his teammates to see his partner still had to finish her meal and his leader had gotten a second course for himself. He stood out of his seat and pointed to the exit, "Hey, I'm heading back too. You two gonna be all right?"

Tenten nodded and waved him off, "Yeah, get going already. We'll get back to you soon."

"MLFREMERGALGTERFGFAR!" Naruto mumbled with his mouth full of pasta and meat.

"Yeah, well make sure you don't take so long this time to finish." Sasuke answered back.

Jaune blinked in surprise, "Can you understand him?"

"No, but it saves time just remembering what he does wrong and telling him to fix it." He waved the group of four away before leaving the cafeteria altogether. Jaune looked back over and saw Pyrrha and Tenten quietly enjoy their light meals as Naruto basically breathed his food in like it was air. It was actually kind of amazing how he gorged on food like that...it was also very nauseating.

Ignoring his bandana-wearing friend's manners, Jaune spared a look over at his partner and contemplated the things the others said about the tournament. Strong people from every corner and part of the world. Some that could even possibly outdo Pyrrha. That was an almost staggering thought he just couldn't believe.

Pyrrha was just...she was just the most amazing fighter and person he had ever met.

She could fight anyone and had won against every opponent she was pitted against. He was constantly surrounded by powerful and amazing people and they always talked about just how awesome she was. The only fight she hadn't won was a draw against Sasuke in their first week, and he remembered asking the Uchiha once if he could win against the invincible girl...

_"I only did as good as I did because I've got a lot of experience fighting people who were stronger than me. If we fought again then I could land some good hits on her, but I'm not sure I could win against Pyrrha."_

It was when people said things like that that made Jaune seriously wonder if Ozpin had been sick or confused when he appointed him as leader.

And people just like that were going to come from everywhere to fight here in a tournament.

Before he could even think about it, Jaune had already put his thoughts into words, "What's that festival tournament like?"

Pyrrha paused from eating her meal and turned to properly face her partner, "What do you mean Jaune? Haven't you seen the Vytal Festival Tournament before?"

Jaune meekly looked aside and shrugged, "Well I sometimes watched the fights on the TV with my family but we were always more focused on the bigger cultural side the Festival had. Buying things from all over the world and selling stuff to people that came from the other Kingdoms. But I really don't know much about the fights."

"Oh well it's amazing! Easily the best part of the whole festival!" Tenten excitedly pointed out and she gave a giddy grin in thought, "As the last big event of the Vytal Festival, dozens or even hundreds of teams come from each of the Hunter Schools and apply to participate in it! Beacon, Haven, Shade, and Atlas all get to show the best fighters and students they've got to the whole world!"

Jaune gulped in surprise, "W-whole world?"

"The tournament is broadcasted in real time over the whole world." Pyrrha pointed out and noticed the pale look on Jaune face. Immediately realizing that the idea of global attention was probably a bit overwhelming for the awkward teen, she held her hands up to try and calm his nerves, "B-but it does a lot of good in helping people have hope around the world. Seeing the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses show their skills in battle puts relief in the populations' mind that they'll be properly protect in the future. Also, the tournament is a wonderful chance for students to see the faculties of other Kingdoms and help them decide where they would like to work in the future."

Jaune's pounding heart seemed to slow down a little at Pyrrha's reassurance as he took a calming breath. He looked at the redhead warrior with uncertainty, "So that-um-region tournament you fought in while you were still at Mistral. Is that sorta like the tournament the festival has?"

Pyrrha gave an ambiguous hum and roll of her shoulders, "Well...yes and no."

Tenten sat up and answered the blond's question, "They're the same in the regard that they're both tournaments. And you can watch them both on TV and online. But, well-"

"ALGRAFATHARSHEZMERFRE-"

"Naruto, chew and swallow."

Naruto gulped down his mouthful and sighed, "Sorry. But they're different basically on the scale of tournament size and worldwide attention. The Mistral Regional Tournament is very well known but it has the most interest and affect in the Kingdom itself. People all over Mistral will watch the students-in-training and other gifted fighters battle it out but people all over the world watch the Vytal Festival Tournament."

Jaune, Tenten, and Pyrrha just looked at Naruto in mild surprise as they blinked in unison.

Naruto shrugged, "I lived in Mistral. I watched those fights growing up all the time."

Pyrrha nodded, "He's right. It is sort of like comparing a local sports league to a professional league. They're similar but very different. Also, the Mistral Regional Tournament focuses on single fighter battles and advancement, while the Vytal Festival Tournament shows off the teamwork and bonds teams have made during training. That's why teams need to register together if they want to participate in the fight." Jaune seemed shocked and a little panicked by the idea before Pyrrha calmly stated, "But we don't need to worry about that. Jaune, if you don't want to enter into the tournament, I'll understand. We can convince Nora and Ren that we don't-"

"N-no!" Jaune cut her off and vividly shook his head, "It's a lot to take in b-but I'm ready to join that fight if you guys are! So don't worry about me!" He seemed to mull over what he said before unconvincingly muttering, "I'll be fine in a fight."

Pyrrha looked at her partner in worry before nodded her head reluctantly, "If you're sure." He gave a small nod and she returned it as well before giving a cheerful smile, "All right then. Then Team JNPR will be entering the Vytal Festival Tournament."

Tenten bounced in her seat a little before turning to her leader for confirmation, "We're gonna join in too, right?" Naruto gave her a skeptical look that just questioned why she even bothered to ask as she pumped her fist, "Yes! Oh this is gonna be so much fun!"

Pyrrha and Tenten both nodded and laughed with some excitement as Jaune looked like something heavy had kicked him in the butt.

Naruto looked down at his meal for a moment and fiddled with the last of the pasta and sauce on his plate before speaking up, "Hey Pyrrha."

The warrior looked up when she realized she was being addressed as the blond seemed conflicted about continuing. He steeled himself before asking, "What was Sanctum like?"

"Sanctum?" The redhead blinked and seemed confused by his question before giving an uncertain tilt of her head, "I'm...not quite sure what you mean? Sanctum is like any other training school in the Kingdoms."

"I know, but I want to hear what you thought about Sanctum while you were there."

Pyrrha contemplated what he was asking and placed her hand on her cheek in thought. She opened her eyes again and gave a small jerk of her shoulders, "Well, Sanctum was always very pristine. Like someone woke up early every morning and scrubbed the halls down from top to bottom with soap. There were so many strong students and each of the teachers were accomplished Hunters that had so much to offer." A fond smile came over Pyrrha's face as she remembered first walking through the halls of that training school, "It was a bit overwhelming and frightening at first but it was still very exciting."

Jaune and Naruto listened to her with their full attention as Tenten nodded in agreement. She went to one of the other training schools in Mistral but she remembered it being so much different from the learning schools they went to growing up. The moment she decided to train to become a Huntress, she got to experience a very different side of life. It was weird and harder but it was so much more exhilarating and romantic and amazing.

And that was when she got to appreciate the Mistral Regional Tournament in a whole new light.

"And then the Regional Tournament came around and things became very hectic. They started putting us through vigorous tests and trials before we could apply for the tournament brackets."

"I didn't get through the tests the first time I tried." Tenten pointed out sheepishly as she scratched her cheek, "I did the following years but I could never get further past the first round because the other people were just so good."

"Yes. The tournament was filled with extraordinary individuals and fighters I had never seen before. I didn't think I could win at all when I entered my first tournament. But somehow...I won." A modest smile grew as the redhead remembered the feeling when she was younger and won her first tournament, "There were a lot of congratulations and thanks. It was incredible when people thought I could be something great because I won that fight so young."

Jaune shrugged and smiled, "Well, maybe they just knew great talent when they saw it."

Tenten nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I mean you went on to win the next three tournaments flawlessly. They must've realized just how great you were gonna be."

Pyrrha shoulders slumped a little and she gave an agreeable but hesitant laugh, "Y-yes, I suppose you are right."

The first time she won the tournament was one of the biggest and proudest moments of her life. She felt like she could accomplish just about anything if she put her mind to it. And when she tried, she could do just about anything. Along the way people continued to praise her and believe she was a prodigy. She kept getting better...

And the people around her kept getting further away...

She spent classes mostly working by herself. As she got older the spars she fought in got shorter as people just surrendered halfway through. She lost more and more friends until she could barely remember a time when she talked simply with friends and not people begging for tips and autographs. She started getting professional attention and stopped being treated just as a student. It was the start of the Invincible Girl's career...

And the start of the barrier she was building around herself.

"To be completely honest..." Pyrrha muttered below her breath in a crestfallen manner, "I have a hard time remembering how nice Sanctum was when I first arrived."

Jaune blinked and turned to her again, "Huh? Did you say something Pyrrha?"

"Nothing." She smiled before collecting her utensils and plate and started heading towards the dish disposal, "I'm finished. Let's head back Jaune." She gave a quick nod to Tenten and Naruto, "See you tomorrow you two."

"Bye guys." Jaune followed after his partner.

Tenten waved them off before looking over to see Naruto looking down at his dirty plate in silence. She was going to ask what was wrong before he gave her an immediate answer, "Do you remember that thing Kiba asked us about a few days ago?"

The brown bun girl tilted her head in thought before giving a slight nod, "Um, yeah? Wait, are you talking about what we could be if we couldn't be Hunters?" He hummed affirmatively as she asked, "Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking instead...what made us want to be Huntsmen and Huntresses in the first place?"

...

Tenten blinked in surprise at the blond's question as a small smile came over his face, "I decided I wanted to be a Huntsmen when I was a kid. I remember all the bedtimes stories I heard about heroes who saved hundreds of people all the time because they thought it was the right thing to do. And I remembered thinking how amazing and great they must be. So I thought I could do a lot to help people if I tried so I wanted to maybe become a Huntsman one day. And now that I might become one...I don't know...I was just thinking about how I got here..."

Naruto stayed silent and kept looking down at his food before vigorously shaking his head until it was just a blur. His eyes whirled around in their sockets and he laughed, "Woah, I'm all deep thought and brooding for some reason. I think I've been sitting next to Sasuke, Ren, and Blake too much. I should sit down by Nora tomorrow so I could absorb some of the boundless energy she's exuding." He happily picked up his silverware and threw one last fry in his mouth before heading out, "C'mon Tenten!"

As her friend headed towards the drop off, Tenten kept still in her seat and furrowed her brow in thought.

Why she decided to become a Huntress?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

It was night now and most everyone had dozed off into dreamland. The stragglers had nodded off and the dorms were silent. The only person that was still awake and resting in her bed in vain was Tenten.

And it wasn't even because of Naruto's snoring or Kiba's incessant turning. She had grown accustomed to their habits.

Her mind was just...

Tenten sighed in frustration and pouted before flipping her covers off her form, moving her unbound hair out of her eyes for a better view. She leaned over and reached under her bed before pulling out a black and slightly worn out notebook. The girl in the baggy pants and t-shirt picked up her Scroll before carefully tiptoeing out of their room.

Tenten quietly shut the door behind her and then stepped to the side before sliding down the wall and getting comfortable in her sitting spot. She turned the light of her Scroll on and started flipping through the pages of her notebook as a nostalgic smile came over her face.

**1rd design!**

**Shotgunn ax that fire smaller axe**

**Eveectivenes against Grim: 100 Points!**

Tenten giggled amusingly at her childish handwriting and poorly drawn diagram of her as a stick figure with a massive weapon in her hand. She turned through a few dozen pages to reach other designs she had thought up.

**Dual batons that connect into double-barreled shotgun**

**Utilize fire rounds, ice rounds, lightning rounds, lava rounds, gravity rounds, wind rounds, etc. **

Oh, that caused quite a bit of destruction when she tried making that before getting into training school. Mom and Dad were so ticked off with her. On the brighter side she had learned to draw a helluva lot better. She flipped the page again...

**Ball and chain with customizable Dust enhancements**

**Capable of covering itself in Ice Dust to change size and shape, Fire Dust to increase destructive potential, Lightning Dust-**

She wasn't even sure how she was gonna make that one work. It sounded nice in theory but it was impossible to create a trigger along the chain to activate certain Dust types. Which meant she had to bring the steel ball back into her hand to switch the Dust and that was just inconvenient. She was probably just trying to clear her head when she created this idea. This was around the time-

"Tenten?"

"Eep!" Tenten yelled and slammed her notebook shut before looked up to see Sasuke poking his head out from their door. She let out a long exhale and calmed herself down, "H-hey Sasuke. What are you doing up? I didn't wake you did I?"

"I heard you walking by and I thought something might be wrong." He noticed the notebook in her lap and raised his brow in intrigue, "What is that?"

"This?" She lifted it up and gave a nervous chuckle, "This is just my old design book. I doodled a bunch of old weapon schematics and ideas down in this when I was still trying to make my own weapon." She waved it around harmlessly, "When I can't sleep I sometimes like to look through it again and see if any strokes of genius hit."

"Can I see it?" Tenten handed her partner the notebook and scooted over as he slid down to sit next to her. She was going to offer a light but he activated his Semblance and started reading in the dark without issue. He moved through a few pages before he nodded in surprise, "Wow, Tenten, you have so many good ideas in here for great weapons."

Tenten rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Pfft. 'Great'." She took the book back and flipped some pages before pointing at one in ridicule, "I wanted to make an amusement park that doubled as weapons and tactical attack vehicles. Making a carousel that released columns of fire in every direction in not a great idea."

Sasuke shrugged, "Okay yeah maybe that idea was a bit far-fetched but you were a kid when you thought of it." He assumed by the crayons and doodles of unicorns in the margins. He poked the notebook to try and encourage his dejected partner, "But some of those are actually very powerful and useful."

"In theory." Tenten pointed out before putting the notebook in her lap and sighing, "I tried making all of these weapons when I could but they were either too big or inconvenient or...explosive."

"Oh." Sasuke said before he looked around at the empty hallway before inquiring, "So why are you sitting out here by yourself?"

The brunette girl's shoulders slumped in disappointment and gave an uncertain shrug, "I was thinking that even though I've been at Beacon for awhile now, I haven't really gotten any better." Sasuke opened his mouth to dispute that but she held up her hand, "Ah. Don't try to dissuade me. I'm pretty stuck in that mindset right now."

Her partner shook his head, "Well maybe you've been too busy taking care of all of us to notice just how much better you've been getting. Even Goodwitch thought you had improved. And you've definitely been getting faster with molding your weapons from your Semblance."

A chipper smile came over Tenten's face at his praise before nodding, "Maybe..." A more conflicted and serious expression took its place, "But I came to Beacon so I could become better and one day be a Huntress. And I really don't feel like I'm making any progress towards the goal." She gripped the edges of her notebook tightly and held it up, "Even if Pyrrha is an invincible fighter, I can't just give up and accept that. A Hunter's life is filled with impossible challenges and hardship. If I don't even attempt to evolve with this wall in my way...I might as well give up."

Sasuke looked at his partner thoughtfully before asking, "So...what are you going to do about it?"

"I need to do the impossible. I need to do something I've never been able to do." Tenten held the notebook up in front of her as a smirk started forming on her face.

"I'm finally gonna make a weapon for myself."

**((((((((Extra: It's not what you think))))))))**

Kiba, Tenten, and Sasuke walked back into their room as the tattooed boy shook his head and laughed derisively, "Okay, I don't care what you say or what 'proof' you think you can offer up. No one is cooler at the movies than Spruce Willis. The dude kills hundreds of Grimm and bad guys as he uses the freakin' fire from bombs to light cigarettes. What's cooler than that?"

Tenten shook her head in disappointment, "Oh he who appreciates so little. Michael Brassbender is one of the finest actors in the whole world. He's nuanced. He's powerful. He can play a damaged deranged xenophobic madmen and make it one of the best characters in recent movie history! All Spruce Willis does is make cheap one liners."

"Hey! They're the best one liners in history! And don't you forget it!" Kiba passionately stated before sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Okay, can we at least agree Licorice DiCaprio and Jamuel L. Sackson are awesome?"

"Oh no question." Tenten nodded before looking around and noticing someone was missing, "Wait, where's Naruto?"

"He said he was back in the room." Sasuke looked around, "Naruto?"

"I-I'm in here!" Naruto called out from their bathroom as his voice seemed panicked and worried, "J-just give me a minute! In the middle of something!"

Kiba fell into his bed, "What are you doing in there?"

"Nothing! Don't ask! Don't worry! Don't come in!"

Tenten lightly knocked on the door, "Naruto, I really need to go to the bathroom. I've been holding it in all day and I think I'm gonna burst."

"Give me a minute!"

"I really can't." Tenten was bouncing on her feet and grabbed the doorknob, "And since I don't hear anything in there I know you aren't using it. I can't wait anymore."

"Wait don't come in!"

"If your pants are around your ankles then you better pull them up!" Tenten barged in.

"NO NO NO-"

"AHHH!"

Tenten screamed and stumbled back as she covered her mouth in shock. Kiba and Sasuke sat up in their beds in worry before they heard Tenten stifle a laugh as tears came into her eyes. They looked towards the bathroom...

And watched Naruto emerge with an unamused look as he wore a familiar blue PJ onesie with his bandana.

...

Sasuke's lips curved into a smile, "P-pfft."

Kiba's face turned red from the strain, "Keeeeeeee-"

Naruto sighed and grabbed the collar of the PJs, "I borrowed them from Jaune. I just really wanted to see why he liked them so much. I thought I could try them out before you guys got back."

***Click***

They looked over and saw Kiba typing away on his Scroll. Naruto's eyes widened, "Kiba you better not-"

"Done."

***Ding***

All of their Scrolls vibrated as they received the same message. And they heard similar rings through the walls as well.

...

Nora: "He's like a big fluffy bunny!"

Ren: "Oh wow."

Pyrrha: "Pfft-hahahahaha!"

Jaune: "Don't laugh! They're better than they look!"

Ruby: "Ahahahaha! He's so fluffy!"

Yang: "HAHAHAHAHAHA! OH GOD! THANK YOU!"

Blake: "Keeehehehehehehahahaha! I need to send this to Velvet."

Weiss: "FINALLY! PAYBACK! VENGEANCE SHALL BE WEISS SCHNEE'S!"

Naruto's eyes went dark in fright as his arms lowered sadly as he realized he was screwed.

...

"How do those feel actually?"

"...Really good. Like I'm wearing a big soft cloud."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**So, I thought it'd be kinda beneficial to reveal some dynamics of the teams I can't show during the chapters in some extra Omakes. What better use for a special extra than something you can't fit anywhere else. Some might be canon. Some might be for fun. This is canon, FYI. That Slo-Mo was for fun.**_

_**Anyway, onto actual story bits. I was sitting at my desk, failing some super important test that might make or break my curriculum when it struck me that I was leaving Tenten as a relatively flat character. Sure she's been interested in weapons and a sorta big sister to her team but outside of their antics what have I done for her. Not much. And if I don't take the initiative to help expand these people and make them interesting characters, I'd be doing them a disservice.**_

_**Something Kishimoto should understand very well. Yeah man you did Shikamaru a great job and some of Asuma's team too. But everyone else...**_

_**They got dick.**_

_**15 years of serialization and so many characters got the shaft. You know anything about Tenten?**_

_**NO!**_

_**Nothin' but the filler.**_

_**I shall be doing my best to rectify that.**_

_**Quick arc and some important bits...**_

_**And then we'll let the underdog have his time.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	27. Iron Body

Hunting or Bust

Dust 22: Iron Body

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"No, I'm serious! Even a big and nice school like Beacon probably has a rodent problem! Imagine all the snacks and meals and pancakes they have to make for everyone and how much doesn't get finished! They have to throw it all away somewhere! Like a big dumpster or trash can they keep in the bottom of the school! I mean have you seen how big this school is?! They've gotta be keeping something underneath it! All the best places in the movies have a secret basement!" Nora explained, "And that's where they strike! Possum! Mice! Rats! Raccoons! Foxes! Deer! Bears! Sharks! All sneaking in and eating up the scraps! Just imagine how thankful they'd be if someone could handle that problem discretely."

"Nora, there are a few problems with this plan." Her more composed and calm compatriot said as he listed the faults with her scheme, "First of all, I doubt there is a giant bin or dumpster underneath the school where they gather all the leftovers from the cafeteria. Second, I'm sure they dispose of the food that gets thrown away in a better manner than gathering it all up in one place and keeping it there. Third, I highly doubt foxes, deer, bears, or sharks can come all the way here to eat the leftovers. Plus, sharks are incapable of walking on land and breathing air."

"But-"

"And before you use the example of the time sharks flopped out of the water, wore dress pants and tops hats, grabbed canes and started rhythmically dancing in the background as Professor Port started yodeling...that was a dream you had in class."

Nora knocked her fist into her hand in realization, "Oh yeah."

"And lastly, this being the most important part, I highly doubt you could sell this idea to Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch as an extra credit opportunity."

"Oh Ren..." The shorter girl jokingly nudged her best friend's shoulder and laughed, "You just lack the vision to see just how amazingly perfect this idea is! That's why I'm the brain and the muscle of our little cabal!"

Ren didn't seem that affected by what she said but felt his curiosity rise, "And what does that make me?"

"The face that brings everyone in, duh." Nora answered simply before bashfully looking aside, "I mean not to say you aren't smart or tough or that the only good feature about you is your face because you are tough and you're really smart and you also have a nice face but not in a creepy way or even a romantic way because you and I are totally not like that at all but still I can admit you're handsome without it getting all weird and stuff-"

"Nora." Ren interrupted her as she started going off on a random tangent so quickly he could barely discern her words. Of course him quietly saying her name did nothing as she continued to talk and he rolled his eyes and hoped she didn't hurt herself with the loss of air. The two friends continued down the hall and came up to their room before one of the doors across from theirs opened.

Sasuke asked questioningly, "And what's wrong with me coming with you? You're about to do something important and I want to help."

"Y-yeah I get that." Tenten said as she followed after him with an embarrassed hue on her face at touching the subject again, "But this is usually something I try to do by myself. I might take a while and I don't want you to come back home late. Plus forging something gets me nervous when I'm being watched and screwing up in front of someone...can't I just do it alone?"

"No, you can't. Because I'm your partner and I'm going to make sure I can help you in any way during something this important." He then gave her a cocky, skeptical look with a raised brow, "Plus this is our team. Isn't it our specialty now to invade our friends' private matters and help them with it?"

Tenten sputtered and pointed back into the room they had left from, "That was completely different! We did that because we were trying to save your lives! And the other time I really needed to go!"

"And this is essential to boosting your confidence and ensuring that you get stronger and become better at Beacon. How is that not just as important?"

"..."

Tenten had a miffed glare directed at her partner but had nothing else to add to the conversation. Sasuke nodded as he realized the argument was finished before finally noticing that Ren and Nora were standing there silently watching them. He nodded to them, "Ren. Nora."

Ren just nodded back as Nora gave a much more animated return, "Heya Sasuke! Tenten! So what are you two talking about? Because that whole conversation without any context sounded kinda weird to be honest."

Sasuke motioned to the brunette, "Tenten and I are heading out to Vale to go forge her a new weapon."

"Oh!" Nora was excited at the prospect of forging a new weapon and bounced on her feet, "That! Sounds! So! Cool! Can we come?!"

"Huh?"

"What?!"

"Yeah! We can help! What are friends for? We need to pick up some supplies anyway!" Nora pointed out, "I need to pick up my grenade customization kit and you need some extra rounds, right Ren? What better time to go than now?"

Ren dryly stared down at the shorter girl, "Nora, aren't you supposed to be writing your ess-"

"Oh that's not going anywhere!" Nora flashed behind them and started easily pushing the three other teenagers down the hall, "Off to Vale we go!"

"H-hold on!" Tenten nervously muttered before whispering to her partner, "Sasuke, this is embarrassing enough with you coming along! Do we-"

Sasuke shook his head, "I really don't think we could change her mind at this point if we tried."

Ren just gave a small nod, "He's right. You can't."

Tenten shook a little before sighing and reluctantly agreeing to bring the duo along as well. She was ashamed of the fact that even though she was such a big weapons enthusiast, she still struggled to make a proper weapon for herself after all this time. And it felt embarrassing because she knew it was going to take a few tries to get it right this time too and now she had an audience. But resigning herself to this fate the bun-haired girl started making her way down the hall and towards the transport.

To Vale they go.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Sitting together aboard the Bullhead to take them back to the city, Sasuke encouraged Tenten to stand up and repeat their goal to their little group of friends. The bun-haired girl coughed awkwardly in front of them before speaking loud enough that she didn't interrupt the conversation of the other students heading into Vale, "Okay everyone...so you guys know I'm a pretty big nerd when it comes to weapons and stuff."

There was a resounding hum and nod of agreement.

"But despite my admiration and love for them, whenever I try to make a weapon myself, I always...well it's not a very pretty sight." Tenten summarized before flicking her wrist out and slipping a small knife into her fingers, "Which is why I always just use my Semblance and make simple weapons like these."

Nora nodded in agreement, "That's still such a cool ability."

"Thanks." Tenten accepted the compliment before letting the Aura construct disappear in her hand, "But this time I'm gonna try making a weapon for myself. And this time I'm not gonna stop until I've got something. So if you guys are really gonna help, well..." The girl seemed nervous before shyly nodding to them, "Thank you for coming along."

Sasuke: "No problem."

Ren: "I'm willing to help any way I can."

Nora: "We are going to make you the most kick butt weapon that's ever existed!"

Ruby: "Yeah! Weapon-making mission is a go!"

...

They all turned and looked at the newest member to their team. The youngest student kept her arm up high after her exclamation before noticing the looks she was getting. She blinked, "What? Do I have milk on my face or something?"

Ren simply raised an eyebrow, "When in the world did you get here?"

"I was following you guys from the hallway." Ruby answered before giving a nervous shrug at all the attention, "Well my room was getting kinda loud because Weiss and Yang were arguing about the best way to use Dust in a fight. Weiss was suggesting that since it's such a complex and useful material that it should be used in such a way that can compliment its user and overwhelm your opponent. And Yang just said that its fiery and can make big explosions, and in a middle of a fight that's life-or-death that's all you really need to win. Then Weiss made a joke about Yang not being smart enough to use it properly. Then Yang got angry and said Weiss was just compensating for being a stick. Then Weiss said that Yang was just covered in extra weight and shouldn't be so proud of it. Then I got scared because they were screaming really loudly and I asked Blake if we should stop them but Blake had slipped out when no one was looking and I got even more scared but then I heard someone say weapon outside and I heard you guys were going to the city and I followed and now we're here."

Ruby finished in a huff before trying to catch her breath. The others blinked once as they processed what she said before Sasuke shrugged, "Well, I guess that answers all my questions."

"Nooooooooo~." Tenten moaned out sadly as she plopped down in a seat and hung her head in defeat, running her hands through her hair, "I didn't want her of all people to know about this."

"Huh? You don't want me here?" Ruby said in partial surprise and disappointment, saddened at the idea she had done something to upset the older girl. She looked between the others as they just shook their head like they had no clue whatsoever why she would feel this way. Ruby took a deep breath before sitting beside Tenten on the other side of the aisle and asking, "Did I do something to make you mad?"

"No. You didn't do anything wrong." The brunette reassured the hooded girl as her hands fell from her head. She sat back in her seat and sighed before looking at the young leader in shame, "Ruby, you are the only other nerd I know who loves weapons as much as me."

Once again there was a resounding hum of agreement at calling the girl a weapons lover.

Ruby actually blushed and seemed bashful at the compliment, "Aw shucks~."

"Which makes this so much more embarrassing!" Tenten whined as she slumped into her chair, "If the only other person I know that loves weapons like that finds out I can't even make one, that's just humiliating."

"Humiliating?" Ruby shook her head, "Tenten, I completely get where you're coming from. Before I finished _Crescent Rose_ I made so many mistakes that I have nightmares about all of them! It sucked!"

Tenten head stayed hung before rising a little in relief and looking at the girl beside her, "Really?"

"Yeah! When my Uncle Qrow first showed me his weapon and said, 'Make something like this and then I'll start teachin' you', I was totally stumped about what I was gonna make. I tried making-like-a hundred different scythe combinations at a time but they all totally fizzled out!" Ruby explained with a pitiful tone at remembering the less than enjoyable memory, "My dad kept telling me that I could just make something simpler when I got to Signal. Yang kept patting me on the back and said she would just help me make a weapon similar to hers. And Uncle Qrow just sat by and watched me work. It was so embarrassing."

Ruby's eyes sparkled and she cheered up joyfully, "But then it happened. I made it. Perfection." Ruby closed her eyes and her hands started holding something that wasn't there, "Bolt action. High caliber. Take the head off a young Beowolf with one shot. And the blade." She giggled and shook with excitement before looking up at the other girl with pride, "After a bunch of screwing up I finally made my perfect weapon! Because we need a bunch of time to make the greatest thing ever. And I know you're gonna make an awesome weapon too!"

Tenten sat up a little with a faith returning to her eyes, "You really think so?"

"Totally!"

Tenten smiled before reaching into her backpack and pulling out her notebook. She flipped it open to the first few pages and showed it to the girl, "I actually have a lot of plans and designs in the making."

Ruby looked at the journal before her eyes widened in wonder and she snatched it up. She looked at the design and bounced in her seat, "Oooooh! Is this a shotgun ax that fires smaller axes?!" Tenten nodded and Ruby squealed, "That is so cool~. And you made such a cool diagram for it too."

Tenten smiled and shook her head, "No, this is an old model of mine. You can tell with the silly drawing. I mean who draws like that?"

"E-ehehe. Y-yeah." Ruby looked away nervously, "Who draws like that?"

"Oh, let me see!" Nora called as she switched seats and sat on Ruby's other side. She smiled, "Woah! I wanna make this weaponized carousel!"

Sasuke and Ren sat by silently and watched their friends go over the book. The NKTS swordsman relaxed in his seat and spoke to the teen beside him, "Sorry that you were pulled along on this little trip. I'm sure you probably had something else you wished to do."

"It's no worry. Nora was right that we need to pick up some supplies." Ren quietly answered, "And I am used to being pulled around by Nora. I don't usually have the energy to try and argue with her."

In his defense there probably wasn't anyone on Remnant with enough energy to match Nora's limitless reserve. Ruby and Naruto maybe if they were hyped up on sugar, but only for so long.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ren inquired of the Uchiha boy as he gave him his full attention, "If she hasn't succeeded in making a weapon before this, why is Tenten so adamant on making sure it works this time?"

Sasuke thought about his answer, "Well, she seemed out of sorts after classes yesterday. And she seemed very absentminded when she came back after lunch." Sasuke looked ahead and saw Tenten pointing out to Ruby and Nora the best of her designs, "I think it has something to do-"

"With Pyrrha?"

Sasuke spared the other boy a look as he nodded, "We noticed that Pyrrha seemed rather reserved after coming back from the cafeteria. Very absentminded. She barely reprimanded Nora for jumping on the bed and breaking one of its springs. Do you have any idea why?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No clue. But I think it has something to do with the spar they had. Tenten seemed very determined to get stronger. Become better like Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha just seemed...despondent. Like she was reminded about something unpleasant or annoying." Ren stated uncertainly while remembering the expression on his teammate's face when she and their leader had returned. The green-clad boy sat up in his seat as the Bullhead was making its descent into Vale, "It's strange now...being so worried and concerned about people when you don't know what they're thinking. I only ever had to worry about what was going on in Nora's head but now I feel myself compelled to worry about Jaune and Pyrrha as well."

Sasuke silently thought for a moment before humming in agreement. It was certainly a strange feeling.

A few years ago he was worried about his brother. Then a group. Then him and Naruto. And now he was stuck with these people he had barely known for a few weeks now...

And it was starting to feel like when he was with a family again.

It was astounding...how quickly these feelings could form.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Woooooooah~."

There was a sense of amazement as they walked into the ammunition supply and weapon manufacturing shop. Sasuke, Nora, Tenten, and Ren walked in and looked around at the vast rows of weapon parts and ammunition within very secure compartments. Ruby stepped in front of everyone and introduced the large store to them, "Welcome to Third Degree Forgery! This is the place me and Yang get most of our parts mailed from. In fact Yang built _Ember Celica_ here before she entered Signal."

"Oh! They got weapons for sale! I gotta see what they're selling!" Nora announced as she darted off to check the supply.

"Nora!" Ren paled and chased after his best friend in a panic, "NORA!"

"And here's the best part! The shop gives a discount on purchases for students of Beacon and Signal and even lets you use the workshop for free!" Ruby happily stated as she took out her Scroll, "If you're performing maintenance or making a new weapon then the expenses get taken up by the schools. I mean it handles most of the money issues and you still need to pay a fee but it's way cheaper to make stuff here. You just have to show them your credentials with the Scroll and you're set."

Tenten smiled and pulled out her Scroll, "Oh, so I guess more of the shops in Vale try to keep that policy than in Mistral."

Her family's weapon shop also gave a discount for students applying to the training and hunting schools. They didn't have a policy with the schools that covered the weapon manufacturing but their store did offer guidance and assistance with the forging. Maybe she should tell her dad to take up that idea when she called him again?

Ruby happily marched up to the front counter and waved at the older woman behind the counter, "Hiya again, Ms. Hephe !"

The middle-aged woman with dark green hair smiled and put her book down as she leaned on the front counter, "Well well well, it's been a while since I last saw you around here. Thought we were never gonna see you running up and down these aisles again, Little Lady."

"I can never stay away from the cool weapons for long."

"I noticed." The older lady gave a kind smile and arched her eyebrow up, "I realized we were sending all your stock and refills by package up to Beacon. Something good happen since you last came in?"

Ruby blushed and seemed very bashful as she shrugged, "I got moved up into Beacon earlier than expected." The little blush on her face disappeared before she remembered what she has here for, "Oh, that reminds me. I came with some of my friends from Beacon because one of them wants to try and make a weapon."

"Oh really?"

Tenten stepped forward and nodded graciously to the owner, "Hello. My name is Tenten and I'm really looking forward to making a weapon here."

"Fantastic. I'll just need to register your Scroll and we'll be on our way." Tenten handed her Scroll to the older woman as she inserted it into a Scroll jack and let the registry check out. Hephe looked between the young group of students, "So you kids are the next group running through the gauntlet at Beacon, huh?"

"Yep!"

"That's correct."

"Mmm."

"Well I'm glad to see you kids are energetic."

"Ren! Ren! Check this out!" Nora emerged from an aisle and called out to her friend as she fastened an arm guard to her forearm. She pressed a button on the side and three razor-sharp claws extended out from over her knuckles, "Oooooooooo~." She stared in amazement before pressing another button as the blades connected together and bent to create a rotor. The rotor started spinning rapidly and Nora felt herself getting lifted off her feet, "Oops."

"Nora! Nora take off the gauntlet!" Nora hovering form dipped into an aisle and Ren went chasing after her, "Nora take it off!"

***CLANG*SHUMP*SCHRICK*CRASH***

The sound of weaponry falling over and the rotor ripping through the shelves echoed through the shop. The owner sighed and rubbed her bridge as Nora called out, "We'll fix it!"

...

A tone came off the computer monitor and Hephe pulled the Scroll off and handed it back to Tenten, "Okay, all good. Follow me and I'll show you to the forge."

Tenten took a deep breath, waved to her friend and partner before they went to help Nora, and followed the woman down the shop's length until they reached an adjacent corridor. The shop owner typed in a quick code and opened the door to let Tenten walk in and settle into her surrounding.

It was a very large and well maintained warehouse, for a weapons forge, with some personnel maintaining the machines while they weren't used. There were slabs and sheets of metal off to the side, and even old sword that were no longer being used that could be melted for new metal. In fact there was a myriad of materials to forge a new weapon from. They had an open furnace with a protected source of Fire Dust underneath it so you could freely control the temperature. There were scorch marks around the opening so it was used often while still being cleaned enough that the leftovers from the previous forge didn't mess up the next one.

A 3D printer if you needed specific components they didn't have on hand.

A grinding wheel for better edges.

A plasma cutter.

Stencils in case you needed to form a basic pattern.

Oh yes...she was home.

"We have some guys that know their way around the machinery if you want help. Most other kids have already finished making their weapons before going to school so there probably won't be a lot of other customers right now." The older woman turned to the bun girl and spoke cautiously, "Now there are a few precautions you should take before starting."

"No worries." Tenten said, pulling her blouse over her head to reveal the black sports bra she was wearing beneath. She slipped the blue sandals off her feet and placed the articles in a safe spot away from the flames and welding. She took a ragged jacket hanging for the customers to use and some boots before she gave a confident smirk, "This. This is where I live."

Hephe looked at the girl and was impressed by her drive before nodding and stepping back, "I'll leave it to you then."

Tenten smiled before stepping forward and looking around at the tools and machines at her disposal. She smiled before flipping her notebook open and finding a design she'd enjoy the most. She opened to the middle of the book and smiled.

A pair of gauntlets secured along the forearms with serrated blades along the length. Capable of detaching and connecting together into a powerful and devastating whip. And could restrict and clamp down on blades to capture or break them.

Tenten smiled before clapping her hands and preparing to get to work.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"And every few days we have a sparring class to fight against each other and get stronger. And the cafeterias are way bigger and have better food than Signal did too!" Ruby explained to the owner in excitement before pulling out her Scroll, "Oh oh! And they have this thing where we can type in our coordinates and have our lockers and weapons sent to us in an instant! Here let me-"

"No no, that's okay sweetie! I-I believe you. And we can't exactly risk renovating this place after a locker comes breaking in." Hephe exhaled in relief when the hooded girl put her Scroll away. She straightened up before asking the girl sitting on the counter, "So, how's that old crow doing?"

"Uncle Qrow? He was doing fine last time I saw him." Ruby tilted her head in thought, "But that was a long time ago. He went off on some big important job and I haven't seen him since."

"Hmm. Well I'm sure he's okay. He always looked like he could handle himself." The green-haired woman reassured before titling her head, "How about your dad?"

"He's good, I guess." Ruby shrugged, "Still off missions for awhile but he's gotten better. I think he misses us."

"Yeah, sounds like him." Hephe smiled, "Well tell him the old iron maiden says hi next time you call. And tell Little Hothead I expect a lot from her now that she's in Beacon."

"Got it." Ruby nodded. The young girl laughed along with the older woman before she noticed Sasuke stepping up to the counter with a black strap with holsters on it, "Hey Sasuke, what'd you get?"

"Holster for my extra cartridges and rounds." He placed it on the counter and gave a small shrug, "Thought it was about time I stop carrying all my spares in my pocket."

"Smart."

Hephe started ringing up the purchase as Ruby questioned the swordsman, "You're not gonna by some rounds for the shotgun?"

"Saving up." Sasuke responded and shook his head, "Dust is getting too pricy. I can't afford buying rounds as often as I used to."

"It's ridiculous." The old blacksmith said with a disappointed shake of her head, "The price dipped for bit after that ass Wilsk got caught and all that Dust was redistributed to the public. But now all these Dust shops are getting held up and robbed. And the price is going through the roof!"

Ruby scrunched her face and grumbled at the news that the Dust robberies were still plaguing the city's industry. She had hoped after facing the biggest problem and risking her very life-well sorta at a risk-that some progress would have gone into stopping it.

Her mind went back to the image of that smug jerk with the eyeliner that had attacked the old man's shop a few weeks back. Roman Torchwick and his goons. They were still causing trouble and no one could stop them.

Ruby thought about maybe sneaking away and conducting another secret mission by herself to defeat this new crimelord...before she realized Yang and Weiss would tear into her way too much if she did.

***Beep***

A buzzer went off behind the counter as someone rang in from a speaker, _"Uh boss, we had a bit of an accident back here."_

Hephe quickly headed for the forgery as Sasuke and Ruby followed after her. She typed in the code and opened the door to find her other employees putting out a small fire over an anvil. Tenten was standing off to the side with her head hung and her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Tenten!" The girl looked up as her friends came running to her side in concern, "Are you okay?"

Tenten nodded, "I'm fine. They got the fire out before it could spread." She girl sighed and shook her head frustratingly before looking at the charred remains of her first project. She clicked her teeth before flipping the page to a different design and slamming the book down, "Another failure. Onto the next one."

Sasuke and Ruby shared an uncertain look before Ruby stepped forward, "Tenten, do you want me to look over it real quick? I can check what might have gone wrong and we-"

"No. It's a dud. I'm moving on."

Ruby shut her mouth and watched as the older girl headed towards the stencils to make another outline. Hephe sighed and headed back to the counter to keep an eye on that hyperactive ginger causing all the damage to the store.

Ruby and Sasuke hesitated to follow after her before they looked between each other and came to the same decision. The two students stood against the far wall and waited for their friend to finally finish her project.

Unfortunately...Tenten didn't make her masterpiece that day.

Or the following day either.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss was reading over her magazine article about the recent sighting of the White Fang on the edge of Vacuo. The local Police had gotten word of a White Fang gathering somewhere in a town on the edge of the Kingdom and went to break it up and capture who they could.

However just as they had arrived to arrest them, there was a fight. A very vicious one at that. The streets had been filled with trenches and that entire part of the town had been partially destroyed in the process. People were injured but thankfully there hadn't been any fatalities discovered as of yet. And the town had enough protective barriers that they didn't need to worry about getting blindsided by the Grimm.

But the White Fang had successfully escaped. And they were causing a fear and plague to grip the minds of the people once again.

The Schnee heiress gave a huff before she peered at the picture accompanying the article. A picture taken outside of the perimeter of the raid by a local photographer. The image showed a small fire engulfing the building that had been raided and what looked like several figures standing on the roof of it before it collapsed.

But one of them looked...distinctively different from the others. He looked like his whole body was just white. He didn't look like he was human or Faunus. He looked...kinda like-

"Snacks!"

"Eep!" The Dust-user let out a shrill scream when Ruby hopped down from her bed and right next to hers. The ivory-haired girl calmed her beating heart when she realized Ruby was just doing something stupid and shook her head, "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting some snacks and stuff to eat while I'm with Tenten and the others." The hooded girl peeked under Weiss' bed and looked up in confusion, "Weiss, do you know where the big bag of snacks I hid under your bed went?"

"Why are you going out again after class-WHY DID YOU HIDE SNACKS UNDER MY BED?!"

Ruby popped up again, "Oh, it wasn't your bed I hid it underneath! It was Blake's!" She dashed over to the other grounded bed and pulled out a red bag from beneath, "Got it!"

Blake gave her leader a stern glimpse, "Ruby, I would appreciate if you didn't hide your food under my bed from now on."

"Where'd my bag of goldfish go?"

Blake read her book again, "No comment."

Ruby just shrugged and hefted the bag over arms before her sister jumped down beside her. The boisterous brawler looked at her little sister curiously, "So little sis, what have you been doing exactly for the last few days?"

"I've been going down to Third Degree Forgery with Tenten and Sasuke to help her make a weapon. Ms. Hephe says hi by the way."

"What! You've been seeing Ol'Hephe and you haven't told me?" Yang grumbled and crossed her arms disappointedly, "That's no fair."

"Sorry Yang. I kept forgetting to tell you." She looked at her Scroll and panicked, "Ah! I gonna miss the next Bullhead! They're already there! Be back later!"

Ruby sped out of the room and left a trail of roses in her wake as she tried to reach her transport before it left.

Yang stood back up at full height and scoffed. She shook her head jokingly, "She's just running off whenever she wants to go play with her friends and stay out all night. Does she have any idea how much she makes me worry?"

Weiss raised a delicate eyebrow skeptically, "Are you trying to sound like a parent?"

"I'm partially joking." Yang answered with a shrug, "But seriously, she's running off and leaving us behind without any word. I swear I taught her better."

"Didn't you ditch her on the first day so she could learn to make friends?"

She glared at her partner behind the book, "Whose side are you on?"

Blake dryly stated, "I'm not on either side. Merely making an observation."

Weiss sat back comfortable in her bed and went back to reading her magazine, "I don't understand why you're complaining. It's actually quite quiet and calm when she's off on other business."

"Yeah but she doesn't even invite me!" Yang whined as she gestured to the two other girls, "She gets to go hang out with Uncle Qrow's old flame and I get stuck with Killjoy and Nojoy."

...

Weiss and Blake both looked up from their papers to send glares at the blonde, a quick look between the both of them, and just ignore her completely to finish their respective pieces.

...

"Don't you two wanna know which one is which?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Hephe took a quick look over her inventory and the profits they had made so far. A good day. Not the best but a good enough one considering the tough prices with the Dust disappearing so rapidly. There was only about an hour left before the store closed for the night and she doubted that any big purchase was going to be made in that last bit of time.

She decided to check on the little stragglers and headed towards the forgery. Most of the other workers had clocked out for the night and there was barely anyone left that supervised the forge. Not that they needed to anymore. Turns out the Tenten girl was a natural and completely followed all the safety precautions they had set. She understood every rule and knew how to work every piece of machinery to the best of its ability. Turns out her family owned a weapons place too back in Mistral. The girl had the knowledge...

She was just lacking...something.

She opened the door and walked into the brightly lit warehouse to see Tenten still toiling away on the other side. The green-haired woman settled in her walk and looked over to see Sasuke silently watching while leaning against the wall and Ruby curled up and snoozing with some snack crumbs on her dress. The hyperactive girl and her little caretaker had headed back earlier. The owner asked the boy, "How's she doing?"

"Same as usual." Sasuke responded, "She has an idea and starts making it work rather well. But then somewhere along the line she...screws up."

The blacksmith sighed and shook her head, "That girl's got talent. Don't understand why she's having such a hard time making something to fight with."

"Because I don't think she can decide on what to finish." Sasuke answered with uncertainty as he watched his partner work, "She starts off with an idea and then somewhere along the way she tries to add more to it. Make it stronger or more powerful or heavier in order to do more. But then the original make starts to break down because it can't handle the upgrades. And then-"

***Sizzle*Clack***

"Dammit!" Tenten exclaimed as her katanas broke from the poor temper they had been cooking in.

Sasuke's shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes, "They break."

"..."

"You should go talk to her."

Sasuke perked up, "Huh?"

Hephe motioned to the upset girl that groaned and paced around in frustration a few yards away, "She looks like she could chew someone's ear off. And you being her partner means it's your job to go over there and let her vent."

"I don't think she wants to be disturbed."

"No. She doesn't want to screw up anymore. And in order to do that, she needs to understand that it's fine to screw up in the first place." Hephe motioned to the girl and smiled at the boy, "Good luck stud. You got an hour before we close up."

Sasuke spared the blacksmith a look before sighing and running his hand through his hair. He pushed off the wall and started making his way to his partner's side. She seemed too distracted to notice his approach as he came up behind her, "Tenten?"

The bun-haired girl turned around, showing off the soot and dust marks she had accumulated from working in the forge since classes ended. She looked very tired and fed up about her apparent futility from working the last three nights on this project. The Uchiha knew she didn't want to be disturbed but he was more concerned about her than her rules, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She picked up the hilt of her latest failure to stare at the brittle metal that had snapped when she had put too much pressure on it. She shook her head and slid it into a bin before preparing to continue, "I just need to get started on the next one."

Sasuke grabbed her shoulder before she could start, "Can you take a break first?"

"I'm fine."

"I know you're fine. But it would really help if you did me a favor and cooled off for a minute."

Tenten mulled over his suggestion...before relaxing her shoulders and giving a grumble before stepping away from the oven and pulling up a stool to plop down on. Sasuke stood by her side and they say in silence for a moment as the only recurring sounds were the shifting of the oven and Ruby's snoring.

...

Sasuke questioned, "Tenten, why do you want to make a weapon so badly?"

She shook her head shamefully, "Because I can't do anything more without them."

"But you can create any weapon you want with your Semblance. Why would you want to make something else?"

"Because I can't do anything more with my Semblance!" Tenten yelled back petulantly as she stood up and faced her partner with emotion in her voice, "You say it like I've got this awesome and ultimate skill but I haven't been able to do anything to help people with it! Especially not you guys!" She grit her teeth and shook her head angrily, "We've been in this school for the same amount of time but you guys have been getting better! You're a great fighter! Kiba's getting stronger everyday! Naruto's actually becoming a great leader too! But I haven't changed! I'm the same! And I'm not gonna be able to become a great Huntress if I don't try getting better!"

Tenten finished her rant and ended in a huff as she panted and tried to catch her breath. Sasuke just looked at her silently, not judging or ready to interrupt her as he waited for her to finish. The Tamura girl sighed and fell back in her seat, "I'm not in this for a noble reason like everyone else. I wanna help people, sure, but the reason I wanted to become a Huntress sucks. I just...I want to become famous. I want people to hear my name and recognize me. I wanna do something great."

Sasuke asked, "Why?"

"Because..." Tenten's hands tensed and she struggled to find the right way to say it, "I don't want to be forgotten. Or just disappear."

Her partner just stayed silent as she shook her head, disgusted by her selfish reason to take up such a noble cause. Tenten's shoulders slumped in submission to the realization that she would never be as great and noble as the other heroes that took up this title. Hell, she wasn't even as good as her friends that were still training to take up the mantle, "I see the weapons Pyrrha uses to win every fight...a see the scythe Ruby swings around and decimates her foes with...and feel like if I could make something as great as that...I might be able to make up for everything I couldn't do myself to become a real Huntress."

...

It was tense hearing Tenten's confession and sitting in that silence again. And it felt awkward to try and find the right words to pick up after that. After a moment of silence...

"Do you know why I made my sheathe a weapon, despite my sword being totally analog?"

Tenten looked up from the floor and gave her partner the attention he was asking for, "Because I saw someone else use a combination like that when I was younger." The Uchiha settled back against a table as he furrowed his eyes in thought, "I saw someone very strong use a weapon just like that...to attack people. Just to cause people strife and pain. He wasn't a good person. At least I didn't think he was. But...I couldn't deny that he was strong. And for some reason I just got it in my head...if he could use that weapon to hurt people, then I'd use it to help people."

Sasuke looked at Tenten and kept a firm gaze with her eyes, "The weapon wasn't great Tenten...it was the person that was using it that left an impression. Weapons can be complex and amazing but they aren't what make a Hunter amazing. It's the person behind them that use it to compliment themselves in the greatest possible fashion that make them great. The person makes the weapon great, not the other way around."

Sasuke took her notebook and put it aside before facing Tenten directly, getting the girl's full attention, "You've been failing to make a weapon all this time because you have this idea in your head that you're lesser and inadequate, which is crap. So you've been adding stuff to your builds each time and they fail because you want them to make up for something about you. But that's not what they're supposed to do." He pointed at her, "You need to make a weapon that you know you can use to compliment yourself the best. That you can use the best." He then pointed to the oven, "So do it."

...

"..."

"..."

Tenten mouth was agape and she just stared at her partner in shock. She blinked, "Where in the world did that come from?"

Sasuke shrugged, "I don't know! Just came to me-look, are you thinking about making something or not? Because I'm tired and it's Firday tomorrow."

Tenten looked aside in thought and bit her lip trying to think about a weapon she could use to the best of her ability. What did she know how to use? Well...everything to a certain extent. Knives were what she used the most but she didn't feel like that was the best choice. A sword? A spear? Even a shield was technically a weapon. What could she do the most good with?

Good.

Suddenly, Tenten's mind went back a few months to before she even finished school to head to Beacon. When she had taken a break from promoting the store and got caught up in a robbery while she was trying to catch a purse snatcher. She remembered fighting and defeating that gang of crooks. And she remembered finishing everything...with a pair of escrima.

Maybe...but she had tried making those already.

But maybe...

No. That would be useless. Plus she wanted to add Dust components to it somehow but the Dust usually melted through the metal.

Except...what if...

Tenten's eyes widened in thought before she looked down at her hands. She opened and closed them repeatedly before a small smile formed on her face. The smile turned into a wide grin before she jumped up to her feet and was shaking with excitement. She looked up and Sasuke asked, "What's wrong?"

"I got it. I GOT IT!" She embraced her partner in a tight hug and kissed his cheek before bouncing with joy, "Thank you Sasuke!" She sprinted across the room and yelled, "RUBY! RUBY WAKE UP! I NEED HELP!"

"Z-Zwei chewed up your bra! Wasn't me!" Ruby woke up in a startle before looking around, "What happened?"

"Ruby!" Tenten kneeled down to the resting girl and gave her a big smile, "I think I know what I gotta make! But I need your help!"

Ruby blinked and wiped the sand from her eyes, "What is it?"

Tenten leaned in and whispered.

"Uh huh." Ruby nodded, "But can't you make those yourself with your Semblance?"

Whispered again.

"Oh!" Ruby shook her head, "But how would you fit the mechanism on there?"

Whispered.

"Interior?" Ruby shrugged, "That could work. But it might melt-"

Whisper.

"Oh. Oh! OH!" Ruby smiled and nodded, "Oh that sounds awesome! What else can it do?"

Whisper.

"AH!" Ruby abandoned her fatigue and jumped to her feet, "I WANNA MAKE IT NOW!"

"EXACTLY!" Tenten pointed the girl in one direction, "GO SEE IF THEY HAVE A STENCIL FOR IT! I'LL CHECK THE MATERIALS AND MECHANICAL COMPONENTS!"

"AYE AYE!"

The two girls dashed into opposite directions to get to work. Sasuke stood in the middle of the room during the storm of movement as he just rubbed his cheek in silent surprise. Well...

That worked better than expected.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Hephe locked up the register and prepared to go send the kids home before it got too late. Beacon preferred their students to get back before it was too late. It wasn't like there was a curfew, but the Bullheads only ran so long on certain days. Otherwise they would have to take a train or bus or-God forbid-walk the whole way there.

That was a damn long way away.

The door was thrown open and Hephe looked up to see the three students step out with a certain air of success to them. Tenten no longer looked like she was slamming her head into a table, and Ruby was standing beside her with a smudge of dirt on her face. Sasuke followed up behind as Tenten proudly asked, "Oh, are you closing up? That's lucky. We just finished."

The green-haired woman raised an eyebrow skeptically and smirked, "Oh? Did you now?"

"Yes. Yes we did." Tenten shrugged, "Wasn't that hard actually. Don't know why I was always so worried about it. I was such a naive little girl back then."

"Mmm." The blacksmith hummed before placing her hands on her hips, "Well do you want to show me what you made or are you just gonna gloat?"

"Oh, I can do both. Don't think I can't." Tenten said in a mix of smugness and pride before she hefted the tarp onto the counter and pulled it open to reveal the new weapon.

...

Hephe raised her eyebrows and whistled at the beauty, "Impressive. I guess the longest toils bear the best results."

"You have no idea."

"It's almost perfect. Just one missing touch." The older woman said, getting the attention of the three students as they leaned forward to hear what she had to say.

Hephe asked, "What are you gonna name it?"

**(((((((Who's the fair-handsomest of them all?))))))))**

"And what I'm saying is that out of all of us, I've got the most rugged features."

"What?"

"Are you stupid?"

"Look, you both got baby faces-"

"Baby faces?"

"What the hell?!"

"-but I've got tattoos. On my cheeks. You know I've gotta be tough to do something like that."

"Yeah, that's the first thing going through someone's head when they see you. 'Oh, he's got tattoos on his face. He's so rugged and charming and totally not a psychopath.' You're a moron. I, on the other hand, have these awesome things on my cheeks. And people know I look adorable."

"You look like a kitten...and you'd be the only kitten in this whole world I'd probably kick for being annoying."

"And you're a mutt that needs to be smacked."

"Okay you two, that's enough. Now I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure I got you both beat. I have a source that says ladies like the scraggly blond look. And...it's all natural."

"Weiss' sarcasm doesn't count as a source."

"Y-you don't know that."

"Look. There's only one way to solve this."

The three boys walked into the cafeteria and made a straight line towards their normal seating spot. Once it came into sight, they noticed all the girls from their teams and RWBY sitting together. Ruby was the first to notice them and waved them over, "Hey guys, what took you-"

"Sorry, no time." Naruto interrupted before slamming his hands down and looking between all of the girls with dead seriousness, "We need all of you to help us with something."

They sat up at the urgency and tone in Naruto's voice before he pointed between him, Kiba, and Jaune, "Who's the best looking?"

The girls all had varying expressions after the question was asked, but it was mostly between surprise or disgust. Ruby shivered, "Ewwwww~. Really?"

Weiss groaned and sat back to finish her nails as Blake completely blocked them out and went back to her book. Tenten rolled her eyes and Pyrrha sputtered, worried about how to answer as Nora tilted her head curiously. Naruto shook his head, "Look, it's not that hard. Out of us, which is-"

"The fairest?" Weiss quipped.

The boys looked between each other and Kiba shrugged, "If that's what you wanna call it."

"I got this girls." Yang finally spoke up as she got their attention and leaned forward in her seat, "Now boys, I think you're all very pretty and deserve all the best gifts your callers offer you-"

"Okay, don't push it."

"But there is one obvious answer that we can all agree on."

The boys leaned forward for her answer, and even the girls perked up to see who Yang designated as the person she found most attractive.

"None of you."

...

"Huh?"

"Look guys, you all have a certain charm to you, can't deny that. But out of the whole group...the fairest...goes to them."

And just like that, they walked in.

Sasuke and Ren just seemed to stroll in with the whole world going silent and slow around them. The wind caused their black hair to billow back behind them and their perfect smiles melted the hearts of everyone that spotted them.

God dammit, how long did it take them to walk in slow motion?

Reality ensued again and the two ebony-haired boys reached the tables. Sasuke nodded to his friends, "Hey guys, what's up? You're not eating?"

...

"Guys-"

"STUPID HANDSOME JERKS!"

"DON'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH SHAME YOU MAKE US FEEL!"

"I HOPE YOU GUYS LIVE LONG AND HAPPY LIVES WITH OTHER BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, ASSHOLES!"

The trio ran out of the cafeteria screaming in anger and sadness as their hopes and dreams were ruined. Ren and Sasuke shared a look before sitting down at the table with the girls, "What was that about?"

"Something stupid." Yang grinned from ear-to-ear as she leaned forward across the table, "But it got me thinking. So boys~...who do you think is that prettiest among us?"

...

As if on queue, the girls looked up and directly at Ren and Sasuke to unnerve them. Just waiting. Waiting for their choice...and the horrible result it would cause.

...

Ren and Sasuke just silently stood out of their seats and chased after the other three boys to safely avoid the land mine subject.

Yang laughed, "And that, girls, is how you send men running."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Okay, so, as some of you have probably already noticed from this or any of my other stories, I like to keep the whole damn thing connected. It might have just been a habit I tried to keep after watching Marvel movies and realizing how much I appreciate this shit coming together. Or maybe I'm a bigger fan of Joss Whedon's habits than I thought.**_

_**At least, that's what I tell myself.**_

_**Truthfully when I wrote the T Trailer I didn't have any plans for that to play any part in the future story. But then I thought up this arc and thought hey why not.**_

_**And now I try to keep as much as I can in my peripheral so I can callback or allude to it somehow. Or at least try and probably fail horribly in the process. I don't know. You guys are the better readers. I just write it.**_

_**Anyway, what am I talking about? Oh right, Tenten's arc. Her part hits the climax next time! And after that...something.**_

_**Stay tune and I hope you enjoy.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	28. Iron Soul

Hunting or Bust

Dust 23: Iron Soul

Well...shit has gone down.

No strings on me amirite?

Sorry. I've been binging Always Sunny and the sociopathic humor with complete disregard for people's feelings is starting to nestle in my head. But just like them I'm only doing that to mask my own feelings and problems.

I died a little after these last few episodes.

Miles and Kerry and everyone else are hurting us. Gray even admitted it!

Call for help.

I don't wanna become a monster.

By the way, how Penny turned and attacked with those blades is exactly how I imagined Naruto fighting with them too. Just...you know...less flying and super laser guns. And not as smooth and quick. She's got some awesome powers moving through those strings and his are just manual.

Also, there were some complaints about a Gary Stu a chapter back, and the lack of follow up to the Naruto reveal. Let me answer you now...You're right. I might have avoided one bad way of writing him, but in the process I dipped into another bad zone. And even though I wasn't trying for that, that's no excuse. So I'll try to rectify that to the best of my ability. And the reason I didn't follow up on Naruto is because, soon enough, all of that is going to come to a head. Just be patient and give me time. And when it's done, please don't hate me.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Uh, Tenten, you okay?"

"Huh?" The bun-haired girl blinked the sleep out of her eyes and looked up to see the rest of her team stopped in the hallway to check on her before the next class. She rubbed her tired eyes and yawned before giving her friends a reassuring nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sleepy is all."

Kiba scoffed, "A little? You were switching from awake to out cold every few seconds last class. Teacher almost caught you several times. Didn't get enough sleep?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, what happened? I mean you two came in pretty late last night but you went to bed. What happened?"

"I went to bed but I didn't sleep." Her team looked at her in surprise as she smiled and rubbed her eye, "I was too excited. Or anxious. But I'm really looking forward to the sparring class today."

Tenten just smiled and headed to her next class before they could say anything else. Kiba just gave a small shake of his head before following after her. Naruto stepped over to Sasuke and asked, "What happened last night?"

"She got what she wanted."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The first-years made their way into the amphitheater and filled up the bleacher seats as Glynda made her way to the center of the stage. The headmaster's deputy quickly started setting up the arena before putting her feet together and addressing the masses, "Greetings students. Welcome to the last class of the week. As usual, if you get called up to spar, grab your weapons and set up your Scroll to connect with the school's Wi-Fi. If you can't spar today just present a note or a reasonable excuse why you can not and we will move on. Now, the first match-"

"Excuse me! Professor!"

Goodwitch and the other students looked over and gave their attention to Tenten as she stood up and raised her hand. Glynda looked up at the girl that tried to ignore all the stares and attention she was getting before answering, "Yes, Ms. Tamura?"

"I'd like to volunteer for the first match."

Glynda nodded, "Very well. Anything else?"

The teenager took a deep breath before nodding, "Yes. I'd like to challenge Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha sat up in surprise and looked back at Tenten in bewilderment as other students around the room muttered and talked under their breath. Glynda merely looked towards the redhead and questioned, "Ms. Nikos, do you accept this match?"

"U-umm..." Pyrrha stuttered, blindsided by the sudden request. However as quickly as the young lady was stunned by the request, the experienced warrior took her place and agreed to the challenge, "Of course."

"Very well. The first match shall be between Tenten Tamura and Pyrrha Nikos." Goodwitch stated as she started typing up on her Scroll and bring the two girls' profiles up on the screens, "Grab your weapons and proceed down into the arena."

Tenten and Pyrrha silently stood up and made their way down the stairs to retrieve their weapons. The others watched their friends leave before quickly looking between each other for answers. Weiss shook her head and looked at NKTS, "What is she doing? Why is she challenging Pyrrha again? Doesn't she remember what happened last time?"

Naruto shrugged nervously and spoke anxiously to the probing heiress, "Don't ask me. I have no idea what she's doing."

"Well, maybe she just wants to see if she could do better?" Yang suggested unsurely with a shrug, "I mean what else could she be doing?"

Ruby stood out of her seat and jumped a few rows forward before plopping down in her seat and smiling, "I know what she's doin~."

They looked at the Huntress-in-training in confusion before Sasuke looked back at them, "She's testing to see how much better she can do now that she has what she needs."

The others looked at them in confusion, "What?"

"She did it?!" Nora asked excitedly as she and Ren joined the other two in the front seat. The excited ginger looked to her two friends expectantly, "She really did it, didn't she?! AND WE MISSED IT!" She exclaimed in anguish as she threw her hands up before slumping in her seat, "How did we miss it?!"

"You said you were hungry and you and Ren went out to go get a burger."

"Oh yeah."

"W-wait." Jaune asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

Ren hiked his thumb towards the stage, "Just watch, and all shall be explained."

...

Well if that didn't hook them in.

The group of friends quickly dropped down in their seats and gave their whole attention to the stage. Everyone watched as Pyrrha walked out with her weapons at the ready and Tenten followed not long after, a stick bag secured to her back as she walked out with a focused stare on her face.

Pyrrha spared her a look back and slowed down so she was walking beside her. She was nervous and hesitated to inquire her friend's strange behavior and request for a fight. The redhead champion asked shyly, "Tenten, are you okay? Did I-um-do I do anything to make you mad?"

Tenten looked at Pyrrha and quickly shook her head, "No. Absolutely not. You didn't do anything at all Pyrrha." The bun-haired girl said as she rubbed her eyes a little to get some focus back in them, "I think I'm just tired and anxious and probably a little bit cranky too. I could use a nap."

"Oh." Pyrrha gave an uncertain hum of acceptance, "Um, all right."

"Pyrrha?" They stopped in the center of the stage before they needed to separate and Tenten looked firmly at the Mistral champion, "Can you please do me a favor?"

She nodded, "Of course."

"I really don't know how this fight is gonna go. If it's just gonna be the same or if something changes." Tenten firmly locked eyes with Pyrrha and stated, "But whatever happens...please don't hold back."

Pyrrha was surprised by Tenten's request before she turned around and walked over to her side of the ring. Pyrrha slowly stepped back into her place before their Scrolls connected to the screens and mirrored their displays.

Glynda stepped out to stand between them and prepared to call the fight. The audience in the bleachers went deathly silent as they prepared for the unexpected rematch. Goodwitch turned between them both, "Are you both ready?"

Pyrrha pulled _Miló_ and _Akoú__o_ from her back and secured them to her arms as Tenten remained still and clenched her fist in anticipation. Glynda stepped back, "Ready..."

...

"Begin!"

Pyrrha immediately went on the offensive and charged towards Tenten, planning to catch her before she could make a move and hit her hard. However Tenten had quickly jumped back and started to run along the circumference of the stage to keep her distance. Pyrrha quickly stopped and watched as Tenten cradled her arms together and kept focused on lapping around the stage.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and shifted _Miló_ into its rifle form. She quickly raised it up and in a split second fired to cut off Tenten's route. The NKTS fighter came to a halt and looked up to see she was in Pyrrha's sights. She quickly turned around and covered her back in metal to protect herself from Pyrrha's shot. The round bounced off her back and Tenten gathered the surplus of knives she created under her sleeves before grabbing one.

Here it goes.

"HA!" Tenten quickly turned around and twisted her hand to toss a knife at her. The moment the first projectile flew from her hand, she immediately chambered her arm again and pulled another knife out of her sleeve to throw. In a matter of moments, Tenten started to unleash a rapid stream of knives at Pyrrha like a machine gun.

Pyrrha tried to parry and divert the onslaught of knives but found the blades coming faster than she could move to block them. So she quickly ducked behind her shield and listened to the pointed weapons scrap and bounce against _Akoú__o_ like hail against a roof.

Tenten kept up her attack before she had thrown the last knife she had made. She sprinted across the stage as quickly as possible and jumped across the field of discarded blades laid across the floor and surrounding Pyrrha's escape. Tenten turned in the air and kicked out to land a drop kick against the sturdy shield as a resounding clang went through the room.

Pyrrha deepened her stance and forced Tenten back as the bun-haired girl flipped and skid on the ground. Her feet slid across the stage and the knives bellow her were knocked up and into her reach. She grabbed them out of the air and quickly threw them to put Pyrrha on guard before gripping two in a reverse-grip.

She raised her arms up and brought the knives down to catch the top of the shield as Pyrrha buckled in her unbalanced stance. She tried to steady herself but couldn't find a proper foothold with the threat of slipping on a knife on all sides. Pyrrha was panicked for a moment-

Before her instincts kicked back into gear.

The redhead narrowed her eyes and slid her foot along the floor and moved every knife out of her way. The champion shifted her weight and moved to the side, forcing Tenten off of her as the bun-haired girl stumbled before finding her footing.

The two students started to dance and move around the field of blades as they stepped between the empty space around them. They traded swings and blows as they instinctively avoided the knives around them until they came in handy. Tenten would counter and slash against Pyrrha's sword as she routinely kicked another knife up and kicked it towards the champion. Pyrrha spun the blade in her hand and deflected all of the projectiles as she stepped forward and swung her shield out to knock Tenten's block off.

Tenten leaned back to avoid the hit before doing a series of backward handsprings to get some distance. Pyrrha tried to chase after her but the NKTS member threw her knives up when she was upright and forced the champion to block. Tenten started to cartwheel and pick knives off the floor to keep Pyrrha at bay long enough to consider her next action.

To Tenten's credit, the constant movement and field of weapons was a good plan to execute. Keeping a good distance away from your foe and forcing them on the defensive by tossing knives their way would work against most anyone.

Unfortunately for her, Pyrrha was her opponent.

Deciding not to stay on the defensive anymore, Pyrrha raised one hand up in the air and slammed on the floor, causing all of the weapons around her to get knocked back with incredible force. Tenten had to quickly raise her arms to guard against the chance a stray knife might hit her before she felt one slam into her forearms.

She separated her arms and knocked the knife off her before spinning in the air and kicking it out towards Pyrrha. The redhead got sick of guarding and charged at the knife, moving her head at the last moment to let the blade sail by her ear. Tenten's eyes went wide and she wanted to guard in the air but Pyrrha leapt up and landed a spin kick into her sternum. Tenten was sent flying and crashing further across the stage as Pyrrha landed on her feet and the knives finally clattered over the floor.

Tenten quickly clamored up to her feet and kept crouched on the ground as her brown eyes locked with Pyrrha's emerald and stayed frozen. Pyrrha waited for her to get back to her feet as Tenten assessed her options. The Aura-constructed knives around them started to crack and deconstruct into particles before disappearing completely.

Tenten spared a look up at the screens and saw her Aura meter had gone down a fair bit after all that. Taking a sturdy kick to the chest and being unable to assimilate the knives back into her Aura had put her at a disadvantage.

Well...no time like the present.

Naruto and the other spectators looked on in shock after Tenten and Pyrrha's impressive showing so far. The whiskered boy stared in slack-jawed amazement before a quick chuckle and smirk came over his face. He smiled even wider and looked at the others, "D-did you see that? That was awesome. She was awesome!"

Weiss gave a surprised nod of agreement to his uncouth statement, "She is certainly fairing better than the other day."

"You ain't seen nothin' yet!" Ruby bragged before she pointed to the stage with excitement, "Look!"

Tenten reached behind her and slowly pulled the zipper down the side of the bag on her back. Her fingers dipped in and slowly pulled out the weapons she had painstakingly focused on creating over the week. She pulled them out...

To reveal a pair of silver-white sticks with a spotless sleek shine to them. One end of both batons was pointed while the other end was flat. Tenten carefully lowered both sticks to her side and spun them in her hands to get accustomed to their feel. She stood still and focused on Pyrrha as the redhead looked at the new weapons in confusion.

"Sticks?" Blake questioned as she looked at the new pair of escrima in the NKTS girl's hands with intrigue.

Nora excitedly moved in her seat and looked to the youngest girl inquisitively, "So that's what she settled on? She didn't like my hammer idea?"

Ruby shook her head, "Didn't work for her. But she felt way better working with those. And I helped!" The young leader of RWBY proudly proclaimed at her involvement.

"Well let's see what your super creation can do!" Nora jumped to her feet and cheered, "GO PYRRHA! WOOOOOO!"

"Like hell!" Kiba jumped from his seat and called out, "C'MON TENTEN! YOU GOT THIS!"

Soon enough, everyone was either jumping out of their seats or cheering for one of the combatants to win. Glynda stayed in wait off to the side and rolled her eyes tiredly behind her spectacles. Goodness it was like a preview of the commotion and madness to come during the actual tournament.

However...she was rather interested in seeing how this match proceeded. Obviously Tenten had taken her advise from the last spar and spent some time thinking up a strategy and creating a weapon to give her movements more focus. Now to see how she handled the rest of this match.

Tenten carefully reached down and moved the strap to her bag off her chest and over her head as it fell to her side. She no longer had anything pressing on her or limiting her movement. Tenten took a deep breath through her nose, a long exhale through her mouth...and sprinted at Pyrrha as quickly as she could move.

The champion lowered her stance to prepare her defense as Tenten's arms crossed in front of her chest and had her sticks at her shoulders. She came at Pyrrha's shield ferociously as she released a rapid series of strikes with both sticks, swinging each with the full turn of her hips and didn't let up for a moment.

Pyrrha struggled against the continuous hits and noticed the intense focus in the bun-haired girl's eyes. Pyrrha's eyes widened and she blocked a strike against the sticks with her sword and turned her hand to catch the back of the baton before Tenten could pull back. She brought her arm down and locked Tenten's arm in before she could move back. The redhead quickly brought her leg up and started kneeing the other girl in the gut before she separated and kicked Tenten back.

The brunette stumbled back before quickly righting herself and gripping her sticks tightly. She charged forward and met Pyrrha's advance as the two started exchanging strikes at incredible speeds. Tenten's sticks blurred and struck with incredible swiftness as they bounced against Pyrrha's blade. The champion proved just how capable she was as she made up for the fact Tenten had two weapons by blocking both with a much quicker, experienced move.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Pyrrha would parry one baton before blocking and knocking the other back with her shield. The redhead pressed forward and Tenten answered in kind when she chambered her arms before striking. The champion thrust her blade forward and Tenten crossed her sticks to block against it. The NKTS girl composed herself and dashed forward at Pyrrha to attack again. The redhead holstered her shield to her back before raising her hand up to repel the batons before they made contact.

Except-

"AH!" Pyrrha yelled as the arnis came across and struck her head. She was stunned by the attack and couldn't properly guard against the strikes that followed after. The champion's head jerked back and forth from the baston strikes before the two sticks locked around her wrist and pulled her forward. Tenten kicked her leg out and flipped her so Pyrrha landed on her back before she immediately rolled and landed in a three-point stance.

The whole room was silent.

That action...unexpected but impressive.

Pyrrha remained close to the ground before slowly standing up and catching her breath. She turned around and focused back on Tenten who was also panting lightly after the rush of attacks. While most people might be rattled and angered by what just happened, Pyrrha was merely confused and replaying what had happened in her mind.

She knew she had activated her Polarity and it should have forced the arnis back before it even came close to her. So why?

Unless-

"Carbon fiber." The amazon looked up at Tenten in surprise when she spoke up. The brunette looked between her weapons and shook her head, "No metal in either of them."

She had made a weapon without using any metal in it? And she felt the need to inform her of that? Did...did she figure out her Polarity?

Was she bragging?

No. Not at all. The matter-of-fact tone in her voice just wanted Pyrrha to be aware of that.

Why?

_"But whatever happens...please don't hold back."_

An excited smirk came over Pyrrha's face as she realized what Tenten was doing. She was making the fight even. She didn't want Pyrrha to keep wasting time to see if she could manipulate the escrima before they hit. This was what she wanted.

A fair fight.

Pyrrha lowered her arm and felt her shield slide down into place along her arm. Her smile became infectious as a similar one came up on Tenten's face to see the fight was still going. The redhead questioned, "Are there any more surprises I should be looking forward to from you now?"

Tenten smirked and shrugged, "I've got a few."

She pressed a button beneath her grip as the lengths of the bastons started to glow red. Tenten yelled as she brought one down on the floor and created a burst of fire that nearly hit the JNPR warrior. Pyrrha somersaulted out of the way and let her sword shift into the javelin before tossing it at Tenten. The brunette was able to knock the weapon off course and charge towards Pyrrha to strike again before it came back.

But Pyrrha merely whipped the shield towards Tenten as the stick-user raised her defense and grit her teeth to bear through the pain. She pressed forward but Pyrrha had quickly stepped in, caught her shield, let the momentum of its return knock her to the ground, and landed on her back to handspring and kick up into Tenten's chin.

She fell on her back and _Miló_ returned to Pyrrha's hands as she prepared to attack her foe again. Tenten turned on the ground and slammed her stick down to create a burst of fire between her and Pyrrha for separation. She clamored to her feet and quickly made swipes at the warrior as she leaned and dodged out of the way of the strikes. She raised her shield and blocked the batons as they released bursts of fire and heat with each impact. The stick-user yelled and brought them both down on the shield as they exploded and forced both girls to gain some distance before they continued.

The red glow slowly receded and faded from the bastons as their fire affect wore out. Tenten spared them a look and scrunched her face in annoyance before twisting the handles as they made a click and pressed the button again. A faint blue glow and the sound of cracking ice settled over the sticks as Pyrrha narrowed her eyes.

The redhead quickly went on the offensive and thrust her javelin out to strike Tenten's head as the bun-haired teen leaned out of the way. Pyrrha spun on her feet and started throwing wide swipes at Tenten with each turn and forcing the girl to back-step away. One swing nearly struck her temple but Tenten took the chance after ducking and lunged forward to poke the shield with her stick, "HA!"

***Crinck***

A sheet of ice formed around the center of the shield where the baston hit as Pyrrha looked down in shock. Tenten jerked the shield on Pyrrha's arm and forced her hold off of it before the ice broke and Akoúo flew off to the side. The NKTS fighter quickly stepped in and started waving her batons around to hit Pyrrha. But the redhead quickly parried and struck every hit hard and fast enough that the ice didn't even get the chance to form on her blade.

Pyrrha's sword clashed with the batons and flakes of ice broke off the batons with each hit. Tenten slammed the batons together as they created a sound of settling ice before she whipped them forward and made a cloud of frozen air blocking Pyrrha's vision. The NKTS fighter spun the stick in her hand and slammed it on the floor to freeze the ground and force the champion back.

Pyrrha jumped back when she saw the sheet of ice start to form at her feet to try and restrict her. She skid back and looked up to see Tenten spinning the sticks in her hands before they suddenly stopped with the flat ends out. She raised them up and locked the ends together before they connected together. Tenten smiled as she started spinning her new staff around in her hands while the crowd cheered with excitement.

Escrima that connected into a pointed bō?

Pyrrha smiled with anticipation as her sword extended and shifted into its javelin state. She stood back up and spun her javelin around before holding it along her arm and off to the side. Tenten stopped her show and gripped her new staff tightly as she lowered into a stance, the Dust still giving the weapon a blue tint at the ends. They stared each other down...

...

"WRAH!" Tenten jabbed forward and Pyrrha spun her javelin to parry its side and push it away. She quickly recovered and spun the staff in her hands before swinging, jabbing, swiping, and striking at the champion as Pyrrha returned her attacks in kind. The Ice Dust would release burst of cold each time the weapons clashed but could not get a proper hit in as Pyrrha pulled back and struck faster than it could settle. The champion seemed to gain the upper hand with the mid-range battle as her javelin flashed and moved with incredible speed.

Tenten watched as Pyrrha turned and threw the javelin forward with the extra power of its jets. The bun-haired girl twisted at the last moment and knocked the spear off course before it could hit. But as it flew off, Pyrrha came running up and threw a punch out to strike Tenten's cheek. But there was a resounding echo as Tenten covered her cheek in metal to cause Pyrrha a tinge of pain through the Aura guard of her fist.

The brunette tried to knock her legs out with a quick strike but Pyrrha blocked it with her shin guards before they could freeze. The JNPR champion grabbed the staff by Tenten's hands as the two started struggling and fighting for control of it. They yelled and pulled it between each other as their feet danced around and tried to unbalance the other. Knives started flying out of Tenten's sleeves to hit Pyrrha but the redhead avoided them by shifting out of the way while pulling on the bō.

Tenten swung the staff out to their side as she and Pyrrha spun around until their backs touched with the staff over their heads. The bun-haired girl yelled and bent forward, forcing Pyrrha off her feet and causing the champion to roll off her back and land in a stumble in front of Tenten as her hold on the staff slipped. The Mistral champion had to flip back before Tenten could land another strike and hit her with the ice as Pyrrha gained some distance.

There was a light hum as one end of the blue glowing staff started to fade before the other end faded as well. The Ice Dust powering it had finally run out. Pyrrha stood up and held her hand out as Miló flew back into her hand and shifted into a sword.

Tenten stood out of her fighting stance and eased her shoulders as her staff hung in front of her, panting lightly. The weapons enthusiast twisted the handles again and pressed the button as the staff took on a yellow glow with an electrical cackling. She placed one foot forward and raised her brow challengingly towards the champion.

Pyrrha responded with an excited smirk and her shield instantly flying up to lock onto her left arm. Pyrrha slowly raised her shield as her blade lowered behind her, fingers drumming the handle. Tenten lowered her stance again, a foot in front as she raised her staff up as it pointed towards her in expectation. The only sound between them was the cracking of static over the staff's tip.

Tenten jabbed forward and Pyrrha's shield raised to meet it, a spark of electricity dancing over the surface of the disk. The Nikos girl pushed the point aside and started pressing forward against the NKTS female, feeling a faint shock run through her hand after every strike but mostly protected by her Aura.

Tenten pulled the staff down in her grip so she could shorten the length and better counter against Pyrrha's swift sword swings. She quickly centered her hold on it again and spun it quickly in her hands, the electric shock over the weapon creating a yellow glow to the move that kept Pyrrha at bay.

For only a moment before Pyrrha shoved her shield forward and stopped the staff's movement quickly, causing Tenten to trip backwards from the quick intrusion. Pyrrha ignored the faint sting that covered her arm's muscles. She quickly stepped forward and swung her blade up, knocking the two bastons apart at the point they were connected and separating the staff completely.

Tenten was blindsided by the attack and tried to regain her composure before the shield struck her gut and felt a shock go through her Aura. Pyrrha spun around and swung the blade up into Tenten's chin, knocking her off her feet and up into the air as a resounding tone echoed through the room again.

Tenten landed on her back in a groan as the lights came back and illuminated the darkened room. Both girls were huffing for air after their intense spar session as Glynda walked out onto the stage again. She nodded towards both girls but referred mostly to the girl that was still standing, "I think we've reached a good stopping point. And I must say...you two both preformed very well."

Pyrrha took a moment to catch her breath and relax as her shoulders slowly slumped. The warrior holstered her shield and sword to her back again before looking up to finally pay mind to the screens. Tenten's was obviously in the red, considering the match had ended after she had landed that hit on her chin. But Pyrrha immediately noticed that her own bar was just barely over half-maybe 60%-after the match was finished.

That...was the most she had lost in a fight in a very long time.

Even more than when she had her fight with Sasuke before it was interrupted.

Glynda's heels clicked against the floor as she stepped over to Tenten's side and looked down at the lying girl. Tenten's breathing calmed down as she opened her eyes to see the older blonde standing over her quietly. The stern woman's face didn't falter as she offered her hand to the young woman, "That was a spectacular showing, Ms. Tamura."

Tenten looked at the offered hand before taking it as she was pulled to her feet with surprising strength by Glynda. The stick-user's vision blurred a little with the rush of getting pulled to her feet as she rubbed her head. She looked up at the professor questioningly, "But I still have a lot to improve on, right?"

A small smile came over the woman's lips, "Ms. Tamura, everyone can always learn more and strive to improve. And I know you can because you've improved greatly over this last week alone." She looked to the arnis in the brunette's hands, "You've given yourself something to focus your talents through, and you've heeded my advice by preparing a strategy and adapting to the changes along the way. That's what a Huntress should be doing."

Goodwitch's words made Tenten feel a better but her loss still weighed heavy even after everything she had done that week. She looked down at her batons-

"I think you were absolutely fantastic, Tenten."

She looked up from her weapons and saw Pyrrha smiling at her in delight at her quick growth. She praised her friend for the excellent battle, "That was one of the best fights I've ever had. And you were amazing."

"THAT WAS AWESOME TENTEN!"

"YOU WERE SO COOL!"

"WAY TO GO TAMURA!"

Tenten looked around and saw the crowd of students start to clap and cheer even after she had been beaten. The brunette looked around in silence as she spotted her team and friends making the most noise for her efforts. Most of them were clapping and jumping on their feet, while even Blake and Weiss were applauding her showing. Tenten smiled and she felt something fill up in the corners of her eyes before wiping it away.

"You two can head back to your seats now." Glynda said as she wiped their profiles from the screens and stood at the center to begin the next randomization process. Tenten grabbed her carry bag and slipped her escrima back in before making her way back to the lockers.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Oh crap."

Tenten droned as she just stared at her locker in blank confusion. Her mouth opened and closed periodically as she racked her brain.

What the hell was her locker combination again?

She never had a weapon she had to keep locked up before so this sorta sucked.

...

Oh! Her birthday. Duh.

"That really was a very great fight Tenten." She looked over to see Pyrrha walking over after depositing her sword and shield. She sat on the bench behind her and placed her hands in her lap, "In my opinion I think you fought even better than you did earlier this week.

Tenten smiled proudly before she finished typing in her combo and opening up the locker. She spared her warrior friend a smile, "Even though you held back?"

Pyrrha shook her head, "I can promise you Tenten that I didn't hold back at all in our fight."

"Hehehe." Tenten grinned happily at that admission as she played with the bag in her hands. Even if she did lose again, knowing she had gotten stronger and others were proud of her achievement, and even getting the champion to take her seriously in a fight felt good. Plus she had her new weapons.

"How did you figure out my Semblance was Polarity?"

"Nobody told me, if that's what you're wondering." Tenten assured the redhead in case she thought her secret ability was being spilled to other people. Tenten closed and opened her fist a few times for emphasis, "I just felt a weird tug on my hands when I tried to hit you in our last fight and I started racking my brain to figure out what that was. Then I remembered the first few times I activated my Semblance as a kid, I got a magnet stuck to my forehead and it reminded me of that feeling." She saw Pyrrha giggle a little at the funny story, "I won't tell anyone about your Polarity if you don't want me too."

"Thank you." Pyrrha said gratefully before her eyes landed on the bag carrying the new weapons that had given her such a push, "When did you get those?"

Tenten hung the bag and sticks on the hook and closed the door before turning to sit down beside Pyrrha, "I just finished making them yesterday."

"Yesterday?" She looked between Tenten and her locker in stunned shock, "You only finished making those weapons yesterday?" Tenten nodded and the Mistral champion looked so blindsided by that fact as she shook her head in disbelief, "Tenten, that's outstanding. I-if you had more time to practice and train with them then I'm certain you would have preformed even better in our match."

The brunette shrugged, "Eh, maybe. But I'm already used to fighting with sticks. Plus I was just so excited and nervous about using them that I wanted to get some actual combat experience to see how they felt." Tenten leaned back on her arms and let her feet roll on the marble, "It's actually a stupidly simple design and I haven't been able to alter the mechanism inside so I can use Dust samples that don't burn up so quickly. But since it's so simple, I can customize it in the future."

"Well that's a useful advantage to prepare for." Pyrrha said as the two girls laughed lightly. The champion looked over at the locker, "Do they have a name?"

"_Calad_ and _Bolg_." Tenten answered, "One of Ruby's family friends suggested it and I loved it." She grinned and laughed a little in joy as her legs bounced with excitement, "I finally have my own weapons!"

"I'm happy for you, Tenten." The redhead offered up before she felt compelled to ask, "But what made you want to create a weapon now over any other time?"

"Because of you mostly."

The JNPR woman sat up in mild surprise and looked at her for an explanation. Tenten stood out of her seat and started slowly pacing around the locker room as the background noise of cheers and other people fighting rung through the walls. The bun-haired girl stepped around lightly and spoke up to the amazon, "I've been thinking a lot lately about why I wanted to become a Huntress. And...well I guess I wanted to do it to be well-known and strong like so many other great people in history. And when I was training to become a Huntress, the person I idolized the most was you. You were around my age but you were so strong and competent and wonderful and I thought if someone my age could do that, maybe I could too?"

Pyrrha smiled at Tenten's words as a mix of emotion came over her face. She felt a nasty twist of pride, despair, loneliness, and awkwardness at hearing her friend speak about the same kind of idolizations she had heard so many times. Her eyes lowered as she kept her same smile up to encourage Tenten to keep thinking she was this great, unflappable hero she believed in.

"But I know it's not that easy, even for you, right?"

Pyrrha mixed mask broke as her eyes slowly widened and she looked up to see Tenten standing over her, "Huh?"

"It's not easy, even for you." Tenten reiterated as she scratched her cheek timidly at addressing the topic she was only speculating on, "I mean I'm not totally sure, but when I see you now I don't see the perfect, skilled warrior I always thought you were. I mean you're still awesome and strong but you're also just a regular girl." Tenten smiled and laughed a little, "I see a girl that gets all flustered when she's embarrassed and excited when something cool happens and someone that tries to get Nora to stay on track doing something but has a hard time trying to get her to listen. And then when I see you fight I realize that you can do everything you do because you worked hard too. You didn't just win those fights by luck or fate. You won them because you tried and fought with the best of your ability."

Tenten leaned against a locker and smiled at Pyrrha, "You can do everything you do because you tried so hard. And I admire you even more now because I know that. I see you and the others put so much effort into what they do, to become great Hunters, and I feel myself being motivated to do the same now too. Way more than I did back when I just watched through a screen. So I wanted to become better and stronger. And now that I have my weapons, I feel like I can actually do that too. I'm gonna become a Huntress thanks to all my friends. And thanks to you too."

Tenten gave a big grin and laughed a little, "Because even though you were cool as my idol, I think you are so much cooler and more amazing as my friend."

...

Tenten opened her eyes again and was taken aback at the sight. She seemed worried and scared as she muttered, "P-Pyrrha?"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you okay?" Tenten was panicked as she pointed to her own eyes, "You're-"

Pyrrha raised her hands and felt the tears coming down from her eyes before she gasped a little. She quickly rubbed her eyes to rid herself of the tears as Tenten stuttered and paled in worry, "I-I-I'm sorry Pyrrha! I-I didn't know what I said! I'm sorry!"

"No!" Pyrrha shook her head, "No, I'm sorry." Her eyes were dry but still a little red and puffy, "I didn't mean to make you worry. But everything's fine. You didn't say anything wrong."

"B-but then why are you crying?" Tenten still wasn't convinced as she became anxious and nervous that she may have hurt the redhead's feelings, "If I said something I shouldn't have then I'm really sorry. I just-"

"Tenten." Pyrrha finished drying her eyes and slowly stood up in front of Tenten, the bun-haired girl looking up at her to see a beautiful and happy smile on her face. Pyrrha nodded towards her to relay she was okay, "I'm really happy you became my friend."

"..." The NKTS fighter blinked up at her in confusion before she realized what she said and nodded as well, "I'm really happy you're my friend too."

"Hehe." Pyrrha laughed a little and then took a deep breath to calm herself down. She passed by the brunette and motioned to the exit, "We should probably start heading back. The others are most likely waiting to congratulate us after out fight."

"Um...don't you think they'll be wondering why your eyes are so red?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will all be okay." She stopped and looked back to Tenten expectantly, "C'mon, they'll want to hear how you made _Calad_ and _Bolg_ work so well. You can't leave your audience waiting."

Tenten smirked and jogged over to walk alongside the champion to make their way back to their teams.

In this fight, Pyrrha had been smacked, electrocuted, nearly frozen, and partially exploded by an onslaught of different abilities and attacks. And despite her efforts and determination, Tenten still had a long way to go before she could beat the Mistral champion in a fight.

Yet despite these facts, it was the best fight either of these girls had had in a long time. And the most fun too.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**I didn't know what I was gonna name Tenten's escrima for the longest time. Originally I was going to name it either Gáe Bolg or Gáe Buide after the spears that could pierce the heart or inflict wounds none could recover from.**_

_**But then, by chance, under the exact same Irish mythology, I found the perfect weapon. A name that went perfect with dual weapons that changed colors when activated. Seriously. Google it. Coincidence and chance are just such wonderful things.**_

_**Anyway, I modeled Tenten's new weapons after a bunch of other examples. Mostly DC stuff, surprisingly. Arkham Nightwing for escrima and Robin for staff. And Black Canary from Arrow for the mix. But some help from Mockingbird too. Damn that Bobbi and Sara leave an impression, right?**_

_**Where was I going with this?**_

_**Oh yeah. I hope you guys liked the fight. I thought if Tenten had some sick weapons and tactics she could do some damage, but there's only so much you can do with new weapons when you fight such an experienced fighter like Pyrrha at close range. She did good, but she's still got a ways to go.**_

_**By the way, I wrote this weeks in advance. So if some even more serious shit went back down in RWBY (which I'm sure did. I mean seriously-broken Mercury then flashback pain then Arkos sink then fucking Armageddon all in a row! Seriously!) and I didn't bring attention to it at the top, you know why.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	29. Behind the Scenes

Hunting or Bust

Dust 24: Behind the Scenes

This chapter was going to go very differently from what I originally planned. Don't know how I got here but I like it a lot more than the other idea.

Post-Note: Can anyone listen to Dream Come True anymore? Because I can't. Wasn't bad enough when Wings and All Our Days made me tear up. Now I can't even listen to a love song without pain.

I'm officially naming them Cinder and the Cuntly Crew. I know how this fandom works. I know how quickly things spread. You bastards better find a way for people to get familiar with that name. You better.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ozpin took a moment and just stared silently...at the greatest mistake he had ever made.

Could he actually make that claim so easily?

He was sure if he put some thought into it he could remember a worse crime or failure or mistake he had committed that caused him even more shame or regret. That was the biggest problem with having such a long list of grievances and misjudgment...he couldn't decide which one haunted him more.

Although it was certain that this was the biggest one in recent memory. He had taken up a duty-a solemn vow and job to protect them from the world when they needed it most.

And here he was...admiring his lack of action and failure to protect.

Would she hate him? If she was still awake and could speak right now, would she curse them? He wouldn't blame her if she did. He'd even expect her to.

But she couldn't. And it's more than likely that she would never get another chance to do it again. Because of their failure, her days were numbered. And all they could do now was make her suffering easy and make the last few days comfortable.

...

This was fear. The same kind of unbridled fear children had when facing the dark. Or adults had at the thought that they were alone. This overwhelming, choking sense of uncertainty that had all of them, the people chosen to keep a cool and collected head, running around in panic. Because now...they were facing the impossible.

Except it couldn't even be called that anymore. Because it happened. This was just uncharted territory. And if it happened to one of them, then there was the threat that it could happen to any of them now too. Which means that they had to be careful about this and prepare for possible ensuing ambushes to occur as well. One lost Maiden was a hefty, tragic loss. But if this were to happen to all of them...

...

There it was again. He was thinking more about the scope of what could be happening instead of focusing on the victim.

This little girl...this young woman...her future taken away from her for the substitute of a life of solitude and duty...and now even that was stripped away from her for-for...

...

Ozpin was at a lost for words. He merely let the tone of the vitals check system fill the silence and stood by waiting.

Until the sounds of long heels clicking against the floor started to echo through the massive underground.

"Hello Glynda." He said without even turning around to address his closest confidant.

"Hello Professor." The blonde teacher responded with a reserved tone at finding the headmaster down in the school's basement with their 'guest'. She looked back to gaze around at the unbearably long and large corridor that was required to pass through to reach this point in the hall and tiredly shook her head, "It's maddening to think the constructors and engineers were in their right mind when they decided to build a space this big under the school."

"Yes well if someone ever made it this far down and was trying to claim a treasure or artifact being kept hidden here, they wanted to make sure the perpetrators at least weren't comfortable in their victory." A wry smirk came over the headmaster's face at the thought, "A final defiance to whatever or whomever breached our defenses, I suppose."

"Yes well it certainly leaves a lot to be desired, I suppose." Glynda stated as she looked at her leader's back, "Have you heard some of the ridiculous rumors students have imagined for what goes on under the school?"

An amused chuckle escaped the headmaster's lips and he nodded, "Oh yes. There are quite a few in circulation at the moment. Most recently the theories that we employ gnomes to sort through out luggage and papers. As well as the idea that there is a giant dumpster beneath our school where we feed all sorts of wildlife our leftovers." He gave a small laugh and shook his head, enjoyed at the silly ideas, "My, the minds of our youth really do create the wildest scenarios, don't you think?"

Glynda didn't respond and looked at the headmaster's back before inquiring, "Ozpin, why did you come down here?"

"..." Ozpin tapped a finger against his cane before lifting it up and holding it behind his back. He continued to look at the girl in front of him, "I didn't have any work to do at the moment and I just thought that she would appreciate the company." He truthfully answered as he looked around at the massive space around them, "Awake or not, I doubt anyone can enjoy being in a place like this alone."

Glynda could understand. She couldn't entirely agree with that choice of action at this time but she understood why he was doing it. It was similar to the reason close friends and family visited the bedside of someone in a coma. They did it because they were hopeful. Because they thought that they could still hear them. Because they wouldn't leave the side of someone they loved.

But Ozpin was doing this out of guilt and regret. And that's why Glynda could understand why he did it. Because she felt just as guilty and to blame for the condition of the scar-faced girl in the tube in front of her.

Her eyes lingered on the tube, and then lowered to the floor before she closed her eyes and then firmly focused on her boss, "Ozpin, sooner or later we will need to address the problem at hand. We need to decide on a possible successor for Autumn."

...

Ozpin sighed and reached into his jacket to pull out his Scroll. The device slid open to its full length and he started to swipe over the screen for videos of recent fights, matches, and spars they had recorded of their students.

This was now another part of the job they never believed they were going to have to engage in. One that was extremely difficult and left a bad taste in the mouth. Picking an acceptable successor to take on this responsibility.

Except if their theories were right, it couldn't even be considered that anymore.

This job was usually passed onto someone worthy of the power or who they found could be best taught to fight for the Maidens' purpose. It can be considered a magnificent honor and a terrible duty at the same time. But now they had to find someone they believed fit those criteria perfectly...and also the chance that they wouldn't be the same person after it was done.

At best they were tasking someone with the incredible burden of sacrificing their hopes and future to protect Remnant in secret.

At worst they would be asking their choice to forfeit...

Everything.

It wasn't an easy decision to make. And it wasn't made any easier by the fact that they were making a choice from the roster of students he was supposed to be guiding and making stronger for the future.

But it was their job. And Ozpin knew that it needed to be done.

Glynda's heels clicked against the floor until she came to a stop at his side as she also started to stream fights onto her Scroll as well. They both continued to watch matches and study their students' folders and records for candidates. The blonde woman's glasses were illuminated by the screen's light as she pointed out, "We're not sure when we'll need to actually make this decision, but I'm certain the others won't want to put it off for very long."

Ozpin hummed in agreement, "Knowing the others, they've probably already started making a list of their most suitable candidates."

The Huntress teacher let her eyes roll behind her spectacles and she shifted the pair up her nose and spoke with irritation, "Knowing the general, he's probably already finished his list. As well as a complete set of dossiers on each of his choices and why they are the best chosen for the job."

"Heh, yes well James can be quite excitable and focused when a task is put in front of him." Ozpin stopped swiping across his screen before he watched the video with interest, "Speaking of excitable, Ms. Adel continues to prove she's the take charge kind of woman I expected her to be."

Glynda looked up from her screen and leaned over to take a peak at Ozpin's Scroll. She was greeted with the video of the strong-willed and brazen leader of Team CFVY, Coco Adel. The brunette was wielding her powerful, if less than tactful, gatling gun and causing her opponent to immediately drop their weapon and surrender. Another video came up of her decimating a horde of Grimm during her run in the initiation test and first getting their attention as a destructive force for the new year. Now she was a second-year and showing a lot of promise for the future.

Glynda gave an ambiguous hum, "Ms. Adel certainly has the drive to fight and take on a challenge. However despite her composure, I still believe she has some growing up to do and maturity to develop."

"I suppose you are right. But you have to admit that Ms. Adel's compassion and care for her teammates is quite endearing. Speaking of which..." Ozpin's screen changed again and they were now watching the scene of a rabbit Faunus swiftly moving through the stage and leaving a flurry of kicks on her foes before retreating to a safe distance to consider her next attack, "Ms. Scarletina has been doing some improving of her own during her time here. Her skills will continue to hone with the missions CFVY will be sent on soon enough. And she is showing quite a bit of promise to strive for a future doctorate once she graduates. Bartholomew speaks quite highly of her."

"I suppose." Glynda agreed with the meek rabbit girl's growth since she arrived at their school. Her time opening up to her team and growing close with her companions had certainly had an obvious affect on her. Even though she was still quite shy meeting new people, it was a stark difference to when she first arrived, where most any contact left her almost comatose. But even though she had grown quite a bit, there was still hesitation and awkwardness in how she interacted with certain kinds of people that were not comfortable with Faunus, "However-"

"No need to say it." Ozpin interrupted before she could actually voice her argument, "Velvet is already plagued by bouts of prejudice as it is. If we were to give her this responsibility, she would be forced to meet people that would make those stares and uncomfortable looks seem warm in comparison. She's a kind person. But she still needs to grow more accustomed with the horror she may face out in the world. Her time may come. But it isn't right now."

Glynda gave a small hum of agreement with the headmaster's statement. She looked back at her own Scroll and brought up another batch of students to review. She didn't feel right putting their freshmen on the same list after only a few months of attending the school but they were showing potential, "I suppose we can look over some of our newest students as possible candidates."

Ozpin nodded, "Why yes. There are quite a lot of talented newcomers to Beacon this year." A wry smile came over his face as he jokingly mentioned, "Some a little more outgoing than others."

Glynda's arms fell to her side with exasperation as she shook her head. The experienced Huntress argued, "No. I'm sorry Ozpin but I can't condone their actions as 'outgoing'. They may be talented and strong but they all need to learn a little something about responsibility and not merely acting on a whim. They all could have been killed and you won't even let me give them detention."

"Yes well they did expose all of Velton Wilsk's criminal activities and discover where he stored all of the contraband he stole. The police and our own systems had been trying to uncover his underworld persona for well over a decade." Ozpin defended the young students' actions by reminding her of the victory that had a deep ripple across the entire world's underground, "All of that and they haven't even completed their first semester here. That seems like quite the outgoing group of youngsters in my opinion."

"I still can't believe you won't let me address the problem with them directly. It's all well and good that they did that but not only was it illegal and stupid, but they were very close to getting killed." The blonde said in a huff before leveling an accusing glare at the man, "What's to stop them from doing something that foolish again?"

"Well hopefully common sense and the lack of any serious threat they believe they would need to act against. Although, let's be honest Glynda..." He gave her a coy smile, "If a problem like that presented itself and our students thought they could make a difference, I doubt we would be able to do anything to stop them."

Glynda rolled her eyes in aggravation at the Huntsman's flexible attitude towards his students' misbehavior, "I'm glad at least one of us isn't so lenient with our students."

"Good cop and bad cop." Ozpin retorted, "One is a plate of cookies, and the other a riding crop."

Glynda gave a disgruntled grumble before pulling up a fight. She watched as the white-clad girl summoned a myriad of different colored Glyphs with different effects. In an instant the fencer disappeared in several bursts of speed and overwhelmed her opponent's senses with her movement. Her strikes didn't leave a lot of damage, considering the bar at the bottom of the screen hadn't shrunken much after the attacks, but Weiss improved her strategy by binding her opponent and attacking him harder, "Ms. Schnee has cemented herself at the top of the sparring class by defeating her enemies before they can properly adapt to her abilities. However, as I'm sure you are aware, she still has a bit too much overconfidence in herself at the moment and I'm sure power like this won't help that mindset."

"Indeed. Ms. Belladonna on the other hand is much more conscious and self-critical of her actions. She thinks her next move ahead of time and lets her instinct and reflex take over only in a split-second decision." The older man closed his eyes and sighed before shaking his head with much chagrin, "But her reluctance to reveal her true nature even to her team conveys a degree of separation she wishes to maintain between her past and present lifestyle."

"Keeping secrets and detaching from others actually seems like a prerequisite for this task. But I see what you mean. I believe we can keep her as a possibility." Glynda wrote something off on her Scroll before a different match came up, "Of course her partner, Ms. Xiao Long is a stark difference in that mindset." Glynda gave an annoyed sigh and slumped her shoulders, "Although I'm sure we'd be met with quite a bit of disagreement if we made her our choice."

"Quite." Ozpin agreed without hesitation, "I'm more than certain that despite our long friendship and respect for each other, Qrow wouldn't hesitate to sock me in the mouth if I suggested his niece should take up the mantle of the Maiden. Ruby as well."

Glynda felt a strange sense of relief knowing that Ozpin wasn't going to suggest they put Ruby in this position either. This was a hard job already, but the idea of giving it to the sweet, naive hooded girl left a knot in her stomach.

"Nora Valkyrie-"

"Desperate need of self-control."

"Agreed."

Ozpin brought up a different fight and felt his attention quickly get absorbed by the fight on screen. He watched intently before noting, "I didn't think Tenten had a weapon of her own when she came to Beacon. Was I wrong?"

Glynda looked up from her device and spared a look towards his Scroll instead. She watched the video of the match between Tenten and Pyrrha play out from different angles as the brunette unveiled her twin stick style for the first time. She answered his inquiry, "You weren't wrong. But over the week Ms. Tamura had been traveling into the city and constructing a weapon of her own. I believe she told me they are called _Bolg_ and _Calad_."

"And she seemed to improve enough that she could even match Ms. Nikos in a fight." She fast forwarded through the match to the end before shrugging, "Or at least for an impressive amount of time considering she's using these weapons for the first time."

"I thought so too. Despite her loss she was still quite ecstatic with the prospect of her new inventions working properly. And her team greeted her with quite a warm welcome when she returned to her seat." The blonde woman looked aside and groaned, "You have no idea how difficult it was to make those children quiet down so that the other matches could go on as scheduled."

Ozpin ignored his assistant's plight as he reversed the video and kept his eyes on the combatants. His attention was firmly on the movements and mannerisms of one person in particular...

"You think so too?"

He looked at Glynda as the shorter woman fixed her glasses and looked at the screen in deep thought. She fiddled with her own Scroll as the profile of the Invincible Girl popped up on the touchpad, "I believe out of all the people we have to choose from, Pyrrha Nikos might very well exemplify everything we are looking for in a Maiden candidate."

She was right.

Kind. Compassionate. Intuitive. Bright. Strong. Willing. And always concerned for others and trying to help to the best of her ability.

It was exactly the kind of traits that convinced the old wizard to pass his magic onto the sisters in the first place.

Ozpin closed his eyes and let a long exhale out of his nose before closing his Scroll entirely. Goodwitch looked at him questioningly as he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He put his glasses back on before looking to the blonde, "I think we have spent more than enough time on the subject by ourselves. Why don't we focus on something else at the moment? I'm sure there are other immediate matters we need to take care of."

"I'm glad you brought that up." Glynda noted as she brought up a document on her Scroll before passing it over to the headmaster, "Because there are a lot of policies, renovations and other matters we need to attend to in order to prepare for the arriving students for the festival.

...

Ozpin stared down at the screen in silence before giving a heavy sigh. He leveled a stern, dry glare towards Glynda, "Glynda, when I said immediate matters, I was referring more to dinner and taking a break."

"This was our break, sir. And now back to work." The blonde woman retorted before giving a slight shrug, "However I do agree that we could probably pick something up from the cafeteria before we get further into the paperwork."

"Then I suppose we should start heading towards the cafeteria." The two teachers came to an agreement and Glynda started off back down the hall. Ozpin lingered in place and looked back up at the comatose girl.

He spoke clearly and softly, "Until we meet again, Amber."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"The renovations for the visiting students are going underway at the moment and should finish by the time the schools arrive." Glynda stated as she walked beside Ozpin, "Fortunately the dorm rooms haven't experienced any damage or tear since the last time they were used. All we need is a cleaning crew to clear the dust and clean some rooms."

"Only some of them?" Ozpin questioned.

Glynda spoke with displeasure in her voice, "Apparently the prospect of a mostly empty dorms is so enticing that some students still risk the chance of punishment to sneak in there. We'll have to make sure they check the rooms for contraband, trash and...stains."

"Ah. Well they are at that age."

"And breaking the code of conduct we explicitly laid down concerning those rooms." Glynda reiterated before calming down and moving to the next issue, "Now, we'll also have to choose commentators and announcers for the tournament."

"Any suggestions."

Glynda pulled up a list that went over several pages filled with names, contact info, and rates for hire, "I've made a list of some professional announcers that I believe would do a good job commentating and telling the play-by-play of the fights. Their prices and rates per hour are on the side. We'll need to interview each of the applicants and determine who we think would do the best job."

"I see." Ozpin looked the list over and seemed disillusioned to the idea of spending time choosing between these people. He looked up from his Scroll and spotted his solution coming towards them, "Ah, Peter, Bartholomew. How are you two doing today? Enjoying the weekend I hope."

The two male teachers stopped in front of the duo as the portly mustached man enthusiastically answered, "Ozpin! Glynda! I hope you two are in good spirits as well! Barty and I just came back from the cafeteria after getting some good nutrients in our bellies!"

"And excellent coffee as well." Oobleck noted with a raise of his mug before quickly downing half the beverage and nodding, "They used a very good brew today."

Ozpin nodded back, "I'll definitely check up on that when we arrive."

"And what were you two doing?"

Glynda held her Scroll under her arm, "Going over the preparations for the Vytal Festival."

"Ooooooooo~." The two teachers looked between each other before grimacing and shaking their heads, "A terrible crucible going through that again. I remember the last festival and tournament we held here. The paperwork never ceased."

"Yes well it is a task but it's one we must finish." Glynda stated as she took note of the exhausted look on the men's' faces just thinking about the paperwork. Why were they dreading the documents and files? They barely even had any work to do compared to her and Ozpin! Oh well, she just chalked it up to them being lazy, "We were just about to go over the list of announcers-"

"Speaking of which." Ozpin interrupted, "Peter, how would you like to be a commentator for the tournament?"

Glynda's eyes went wide and white as plates as the shorter Huntsman rubbed his chin in thought, "Me? Giving commentary during the tournament fights?" He rubbed his mustache in deep thought, "Well I've never done something like that before, but many of my students tell me I have quite the way with words. I'll do it! It would be an honor to report the pulse-pounding, adrenaline-filled fights to the population around Remnant!" His enthusiasm disappeared for a moment before he asked, "Will I be paid for this?"

"I'm sure we can work something out."

"Then I'll do it!" He announced across the hall before quickly making his way back to his office, "I need to start vocal training and tongue twisters to prepare myself!"

They watched the short teacher dash down the hall and disappear in an instant before it was just the three of them. Ozpin looked at the green-haired man, "Barty, would you like be a commentator as well? I'm sure your years of experience, deep perception, and wealth of knowledge would be greatly beneficial in giving the audience context and insight in how the students fight."

"You want me to make sure Peter doesn't go off on a tangent and tell the whole world one of his stories, don't you?"

"Like I said. Deep perception."

"Will I get overtime?"

"Like I said. We can work something out."

"The I suppose I am honored and will except the job." The twitchy history teacher quickly finished the last of his coffee and nodded to the two professors, "Now if you'll excuse me I have some midterms to prepare."

He sped down the hall in a flash and left the headmaster and teacher by themselves. Ozpin had a small smile in triumph before swiping his finger, "I suppose we can cross the announcers off the list."

Glynda answered his triumphant attitude with the iciest, darkest glare he had seen her make in a long time. Her eyebrow twitched several times before giving a very heavy growl and rub the bridge of her nose. She aimed a pointed glare towards him and shook her head, "That was a dirty move."

"Yes, but, we have our announcers now. And for a much lower price than any of those other announcers." He smiled and continued towards the cafeteria, "I consider that a win."

The headmaster walked through the doors and looked around the cafeteria to see a scarce amount of students actually eating in the halls. This was usually the kind of turn out on Saturday because some people liked to travel out to the city and eat there. A few students noticed their arrival and sent him quick greetings as he and Glynda made their way to the food. He picked up an apple and a mug of hot coffee before waiting to see what Glynda decided to do next.

"They're not scars? Or tattoos?"

"Nope. Birthmarks."

"Oh wow. I always thought you just got scratches on your face that never healed."

"I thought you were just a weirdo that colored his face in with crayon."

"You think I would do that everyday before going out?"

"I said you were a weirdo."

Ozpin looked over and spotted the group of a dozen students that were always causing the most ruckus and energy in a crowd. Naruto was apparently the one leading the conversation this time as he shrugged, "Well I can be a weirdo and still have birthmarks."

"That's pretty cool." Yang complimented with a smile, "As far as birthmarks go that's a pretty lucky one to have. Better than having a big splotch of skin that looks like some dude's face on your cheeks. Instead you were born looking like a cat."

"A cat?" Naruto touched his cheeks apprehensively before shrugging, "Meh, people always say I look like something. Usually a cat or lion or fox or whatever." He turned to Blake and pointed at his cheeks with a coy smile, "Hey Blake, you're insightful. You think I look like a cat?"

The black-clad girl just gave him a cold glare before focusing back on her meal. When did those two start conversing enough that Naruto could put her on the spot so quickly?

Weiss skeptically shook her head, "I still can't believe those are just birthmarks."

"They are! I'm serious! I was born with them!" Naruto leaned over the table and looked between all of his friends desperately, "Touch them! Go ahead! Feel for yourself that they're real!"

...

Needless to say no one was jumping at the chance to touch Naruto's face so quickly.

...

"I'll do it." Nora finally caved as her curiosity got the better of her. The others sent her a confused look as she leaned over and touched one of Naruto's whiskers. Her eyes widened in surprise before running her finger over the length of it and smiling, "Hey! It feels funny! Hehe, it tickles."

"Really?" Ruby asked before arguing with herself before diving in and feeling one of the other whiskers. She felt the rough little patch of skin against her finger and giggled, "It's like a kitty tongue."

"It is? Wait let me feel."

"I wanna try."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Let me feel."

Weiss looked at the scene of her companions reaching over to feel the strange markings themselves and completely forget the fact they were basically petting someone's face. She shivered a little in disgust before shaking her head, "How? How did I get myself stuck with such weird people? Just how?"

"You all seem to be as lively as ever."

Everyone immediately feel into their seats and sat ramrod straight at the familiar authoritative voice appearing out of nowhere. They all looked towards Ozpin to see him standing with a mug of coffee and a blithe smile on his face at the scene. Ruby was the first to recover and happily greeted the older man, "Hi Professor. What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick up something to eat before getting back to work."

"Work?"

"Glynda and I are starting the arduous little process of planning everything for the festival." Ozpin's eyes seemed to lose their luster as he looked down at his coffee sadly, "I should have taken a whole pot."

"Oh!" Weiss looked up at the headmaster with sparkles in her eyes as she was triggered by the prospect of scheduling and so much skilled planning ahead of him. She asked with excitement in her voice, "Professor, is there anything you would need help in? Any event planning or filing or assistant you would need to help make this festival perfect?" She proudly place a hand on her chest and offered in a regal tone, "My team and I would happily do whatever we can to assure the other schools can see just how wonderful Beacon truly is."

If her offer really was for the whole team to help, it was a surprise to RWBY as they each sent the heiress dirty looks of betrayal at her offer.

"Nothing at the moment. But I'll definitely remember that offer if anything comes up in the future, Ms. Schnee." He looked around at the group of students, "What about all of you? Not feeling like going out to the city on a Saturday evening?"

Kiba gave a dry laugh, "I'm pretty sure we've had enough fun on Saturdays for a lifetime."

"I bet." Ozpin agreed before his eyes fell on the NKTS stick user and he gave her a quick nod, "Tenten, Glynda informed me about those new weapons you made for yourself. I want to congratulate you on a job well done. Both you and Ms. Nikos preformed splendidly."

Tenten blinked in surprise at the fact that Ozpin was addressing her before she timidly sat up straighter and flushed slightly, "Oh. Thank you, Professor."

"You're quite welcome." He felt someone stop at his side and saw the blonde teacher had finished picking up her meal, "Are you ready?"

"Yes." The blonde Huntress looked back to the students and gave them a quick nod, "Good evening children."

"Good evening, Ms. Goodwitch." Most of them responded before Yang gave a cheeky grin, "So we hear you guys got a lot of work ahead of you to prepare for the festival. That's gotta suck, huh?"

"It only seems like a lot but it's not anything we haven't handled before." Glynda defended as Ozpin would have happily disagreed with that statement. But the blonde teacher fixed her glasses and looked between all of them critically, "Unfortunately even if we finish all this paperwork, my week will still be preoccupied with grading all of your midterm papers. I hope you'll have them all finished by the start of class on Monday so I won't have to deal with any late entires."

...

It was impossible not to notice the severe constriction of eyes and whitening of skin as several students realized that their essay was due in less than two days.

Glynda's eyes narrowed in annoyance before Ozpin gently placed a hand on her shoulder and started leading her away, "Well I think it's about time we get back to work. Good luck everyone."

"W-Weiss. The paper. I-I forgot about the paper! I haven't finished it yet!"

"Don't look at me. I told you we should address it when we got the assignment but you were 'getting attacked by a pillow', remember."

"H-hey Blake, you haven't finished your paper either, right?"

"Not yet."

"Oh thank God-"

"I still have a sentence to finish before I'm done with the whole thing. Whatever will I do."

"Don't toy with me woman!"

"Sasuke! You finished your paper! Let me copy off it!"

"Copy my-you remember these papers have different topics, right?"

"Oh god they do?!"

"Nora, did you remember your work cited?"

"WORK CITED?! NOOOOOO-"

The doors closed behind them as Ozpin and Glynda made their way back to his office. Glynda was still fuming and Ozpin jokingly stated, "Well they seem as lively as ever."

"Lively?" Glynda said back with a bite in her voice, "They seem as irresponsible as ever! All my reminders and warnings at the end of class and they still forgot the assignment I gave them! This always happens during the midterms!"

"And our students still pull through and give you surprisingly good papers. Relax Glynda. Panic and cramming. It's just a part of being a student for them." The blonde Huntress gave a long inhale and exhale through her nose as her shoulders shuddered with barely contained rage. He noticed her calm down a little before he asked, "Do you still have reservations about our new students? Because I think they're doing quite well so far."

Glynda looked at him perplex before she finally realized what he was referring to. He was talking about that conversation they had on the cliffs during the initiation test. She composed herself before speaking, "Ruby has certainly improved over her time here and has defied expectation in regards to her leadership. I'm still not sure how to feel about bringing someone here two years earlier than expected, but I'll certainly say that Ruby is just as skilled and worthy to be here as anyone else."

Ozpin nodded in agreement.

"Jaune Arc..." Her eyes focused for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm still not sure how to feel about that young man. His grades seem to be stagnant and the progress he has made in combat is minimal at best. The only thing I can say as a positive is that he certainly brings the best out of his teammates and has scarce moments of tactical thinking. But I believe neither will be able to help him when he is by himself. And if his team will need to carry his weight during the tournament-"

"Mr. Arc is certainly faring less favorably than the other students his age, but it might just be he hasn't had the chance to fully dedicate himself into this life just yet."

"Really?" Glynda spat sarcastically, "He went through the initiation and joined the other students on their secret little 'crusade'. Would he do tasks like that if he wasn't dedicated to this life like you said?"

They walked into the elevator in the central tower as Ozpin responded, "We each face a crossroad somewhere along our lives where we need to choose which path we take. We can either throw ourselves fully into what we have chosen to do, or abandon it completely to pursue a different path. Perhaps Mr. Arc just hasn't had that choice placed before him yet. We can only wait and see what's in store for him in the future." The doors closed behind them and Ozpin looked towards the Huntress expectantly, "And how about the 'criminals' you were so worried about?"

"I will admit that I may have been a bit too hasty in judging them." Glynda admitted, "Naruto has shown a lot of promise and growth as a leader. Although I don't appreciate his stubbornness and refusal to utilize his Semblance in battle." She crossed her arms indignantly and settled back in her spot, "The other day he was fighting that Winchester boy in a spar. Despite winning the match he let down his guard and suffered a serious head injury in the process! Thank goodness his Aura healed the wound in that peculiar way it does but that still left him weary. And once when I inquired why he doesn't use his Semblance, he danced around an answer and refused to tell me why." Her eyes narrowed in irritation, "I swear that boy needs a crash course in discipline and respect."

Ozpin was entertained at the idea of the persistent Glynda trying to condition the bullheaded student to listen. It would definitely be an interesting spectacle to see. Which one would crack first? Naruto was definitely stubborn like a mule, but his bet was Glynda would find a way. She was scary like that.

"And I suppose I was wrong about Mr. Uchiha's standing at this school as well. I was expecting the worst from him, considering the history behind his name and the rumors passing around Remnant, but I suppose we were wrong." The Huntress acknowledged the young swordsman's showing so far, "He seems very well-adjusted for someone that came in from such a undesirable position."

"You think so?"

Glynda eyed the headmaster strangely as he swirled the caffeine in its mug, "You...think otherwise?"

Ozpin looked down at his beverage and stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "I see a skilled and exceptional young man...following others and hiding behind a mask he made of others." The two teachers remained in silence before the elevator arrived at his office and opened up for them. Ozpin gave a stoic shrug before walking out, "Or perhaps I am reading far too into it than necessary. Come then, Glynda. Let's get to work."

The headmaster sat behind his desk and the atmosphere changed as Glynda placed her salad down and started reading off the list of jobs, "Now we need to start deciding the locations for the fair grounds and which vendors to allow on campus. As well as making plans for additional transport systems to and from Amity Colosseum. We'll also need to check with the broadcasting crew and CCT crews to assure that the stream can be kept at real-time without any faults." She looked up from her Scroll and made off for the elevator again, "I left the contact and sponsor folders on my desk. I'll be right back."

Ozpin smiled and raised his mug, "I'll be waiting for your return."

She sent him a stern glare before stepping into the elevator and letting the doors close on her words, "Instead of sitting around doing nothing, how about you use your time to decide on an officiator?"

Ozpin's sense of relief immediately disappeared when the Huntress' words hit him.

Crap. He still needed to decide on an officiator.

The schools and Kingdoms held the festivals bi-annually and welcomed people from all over Remnant to partake in the celebration. But when it came to the tournament, there was a small hiccup with deciding who participated and who didn't. Considering there were hundreds of teams that applied to join and only so many spots, there had to be trials and tests to see who would actually be a part of the fight. And considering that one of the four schools was always hosting the tournament, there was worry of bias or nepotism playing a factor and teams from certain Kingdoms being accepted or denied unfairly.

So a Huntsman or Huntress was chosen by the hosts to officiate and hold trials to decide who got to fight in the tournament.

They had to be fair and impartial with their decisions. Most Hunters didn't have an allegiance to just one Kingdom so there were a lot to choose from. But the hard part was convincing them to stay in Vale for a few months until the festival came to an end.

Which meant he either had to give someone a favor, or cash in on one he had earned.

...

Oh. Actually, he might be a good choice. He loves this celebration. And he was always very serious when it came to matters that needed his attention.

Ozpin jacked his Scroll into its port and typed in the contact. He waited and heard the ring echo from the screen.

The picture didn't come up but a voice did answer, _"Hello?"_

"Hello again. It's Ozpin."

_"Headmaster? Well this is a pleasant surprise! I wasn't expecting another call from you."_

"Heh, you know you can just call me Ozpin, correct? We know each other well enough that the title just seems awkward."

_"Oh. Hehe, sorry. I'm more used to addressing people with titles in my line of work. Force of habit."_

"It's fine. I understand."

_"So what do I owe to the sudden ca-oh. O-oh no did something happen?"_

"No no no, nothing happened. Everything is fine. I'm calling for a different reason."

_"O-oh, okay. Sorry. It's just the last time you called me the people in my office were worried because I broke down crying immediately after hanging up. I know it seems kinda anecdotal but there's an expectation of either dread or joy when I pick up your call."_

"Well if anything I believe this would be in the joy category. You're aware we're holding the festival and tournament here in Vale, correct?"

_"Of course. My business is preparing for any jobs we might be given during the preparation. Wait. Is that why you're calling? Do you need us for protection or something?"_

"No no, that's not it. Your group is exceptionally talented and I would come to you immediately if that were the case but at the moment we are handling all those matters ourselves. No, I called because I wished to talk with you about something?"

_"Just me?"_

"Yes, during the tournament, we require an outside party to officiate the teams and make a test to decide who participates in the fights. And we need that officiator to stay in the Kingdom at least until the tournament participants are decided on. Which means a few months at most. And I was wondering if you would take the job."

_"..."_

"I know that this probably comes as a bit of a surprise. And I understand if there may be complications with your schedule. If you can't do it then that's fine-"

_"No, it's not that. It's just, t-that was really surprising. But it sounds like a great opportunity. I'd probably have to work something out with the others but it sounds like an honor. Is there a time limit or any information I need?"_

"The latest we would need an answer is by the end of the school semester. But if you would like information and a general idea of what you'd be doing, you can come over to Beacon and we can have a chat discussing the parameters."

_"How long would that take?"_

"A day. Two at most."

_"That sounds fine. When should I come over?"_

"In a week. Maybe two. I can contact you when I've worked everything out with Glynda. We can have a nice chat when all our paperwork is finished. And if you like you can even visit the campus. See the dorms. Check on our new batch of students. Whatever you think would be a good use of your time."

_"...I will. Thank you, Ozpin."_

The call came to an end and the headmaster leaned back in his chair satisfied. He had another job almost completed and was helping solve a problem he had been trying to rectify since the semester began.

This...was promising to be quite an eventful Vytal Festival.

**((((((((Extra: Like a Starfish))))))))**

"No!"

"Ah!" Kiba yelped as he pulled back his hand before the knife could slap it away. His Aura would have protected him from any serious damage but it still would've stung for a few seconds. He barked at the ginger girl, "Dammit Nora, watch where you wave that thing!"

"I warned you!" Nora pointed the knife at the tonfa-user and narrowed her eyes threateningly, "I said that if anyone-ANYONE-tries to take my chicken tenders, I'd smack them away! No exceptions!" She happily started digging into her giant plate of golden fried chicken and enjoyed every bite before speaking again, "You should have taken Ruby as a caution."

Ruby was rubbing her throbbing red hand with little tears in her eyes, "They just looked so good~."

"I WARNED YOU!"

Naruto walked over to the table and took up a seat quickly, "Hey guys, what's up? Why's Kiba glaring and Ruby crying?"

Blake answered with a dull tone, "We're watching a perfect example of people never learning from their mistakes."

"Whatever that means." He spotted the plate of food and reached over, "Oooh, yummy."

"Mine!"

***Schwip***

***Plop***

The entire cafeteria immediately went silent and everyone at the table looked on like they were frozen at that moment.

Naruto's hand laid on the table...and his arm now ended in a stump.

...

Everyone just looked between the hand and its former owner in silence, waiting for any kind of reaction he gave.

The stump started to turn and grow before another hand steadily grew out of the spot it was cut. After a moment a new hand was there that Naruto slowly opened and closed to assure that it worked. He blinked in surprise, "Huh. Ruby, Jaune, you guys were right about the whole severed limb theory."

They didn't get to answer as the hand started to twitch before a similar experience started to occur out of the sliced area as well. Moments later a second Naruto with a different color palette appeared lying on the table before immediately sitting up. He looked around in silence at all the people that stared at him. He blinked a few times and remained still before snatching up a tender and the knife out of Nora's hands, "Hey!"

"BWAHAHAHA!" He darted out of the cafeteria and left the students sitting there in silence.

***SHANK***

"AH! MY OTHER ARM! OH GOD WHY!"

"BWAHAHAHA!"

("Would Naruto Uzumaki please come to the headmaster's office for the matter of stabbing a student in the arm with a knife. Naruto Uzumaki, to the headmaster's office.")

"God dammit."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Don't know where that starfish idea came from. But I just needed to write it down for laughs. And now that the evil Oturan is out of my head, we can move on.**_

_**This chapter was originally going to revolve around the main twelve and the injuries and scars they have from their numerous adventures before coming to Beacon. I was going to do this because I wanted to entertain the idea that even though they're strong now and have Aura, these kids were still kids and they gets cuts and bumps sometimes. But I didn't know how to give everyone distinctive stories to their injuries or how the hell I was going to address Weiss' scar without getting screwed by canon. Plus I was following the five chapter arc idea and I ran out of ideas for this one.**_

_**But then the Ozluminati came to mind and I thought it would be more entertaining seeing what they were doing while our main characters took a break. And I gotta say I enjoy this idea way more than the other one. And now I got to introduce some Volume 3 topics and new stuff here, which is a win in my book!**_

_**Now by the time this is released, Volume 3 will have finished. The Grimm will have raided the streets. Blake and Adam will have finally met again. And hopefully Pyrrha is still herself(although knowing my luck, shit burst through the fan and I'm crying). And most importantly Monty's anniversary will have happened as well. So even though it's late, I'll say this now.**_

_**Thank you Rooster Teeth for giving us another entry in this fantastic show. Thank you to the fans that kept up with their show and also read my story, I love you all.**_

_**And thank you Monty. We miss you. And we'll never stop moving forward.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	30. Made it This Far

Hunting or Bust

Dust 25: Made it This Far

And the end of the Iron Heart Arc has arrived. It was fun writing this story ahead of time. Stockpiling chapters is actually a whole lot of fun and easier to work with.

I'm finally playing Metal Gear now! Because I have the time!

P.S. Y'know, I was actually starting to feel kinda bad for the ideas and directions I was thinking of taking this story. And the things I would put the characters through. But then the last fourth of the volume happened. And I decided-hey-might as well join the canon wagon.

Harry Potter Syndrome indeed.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Tenten stepped onto the makeshift mat and created three sticks with her Semblance. She tossed one to her partner before holding two firmly and knocking them together. She gave him a quick nod and lowered into a small stance, "Ready?"

Sasuke held the short weapon and nodded back, "On your move."

Tenten quickly stepped forward and jabbed one stick towards the swordman's head as he moved out of the way. She chambered her outstretched arm and swung the other one across to catch the Uchiha's head but he blocked it with his weapon, metal colliding and echoing in the small room.

The two fighters exchanged strikes as Tenten struck with both sticks as Sasuke quickly blocked and guarded with his weapon. The raven-haired man ducked and stepped under Tenten's attacks as he stumbled to stay in the confines of the mat. He spun and smacked the stick strikes away before following up with attacks of his own.

The partners kept throwing hits and attempting to trip the other up in an effort to win the mock match. Tenten blocked and swiped towards the Uchiha's knee to stun him but Sasuke jumped up and let the baton swing under him. He landed and quickly swiped towards the bun-haired girl's temple but Tenten ducked before it could land.

She swung for his legs, Sasuke lowering his stance and reach enough that he could still repel and defend against her attacks. The dull ring of metal hitting each other continued and Tenten persisted to attack him from her position. She placed her foot forward and went to sweep out his feet but Sasuke flipped over it and landed again. But his partner predicted this move, kicking her foot out and catching his leg quick enough to force him down on his knee.

She pushed up to her feet and blocked the desperate reflex he threw back to catch her. But Tenten defended before locking his weapon together with hers. She swung the other baton down the length of his arm and stopped just short of hitting his neck, pinning his arm in place and catching the Uchiha before he could counter. Sasuke gave a small grumble with the blunt object pressed under his chin as Tenten smiled triumphantly, "Yield?"

He gave no response but a furrow of his eyes at the predicament.

"Sorry Sasuke, but I win." She bragged, "Guess I'm just so awesome with my sticks now-"

Sasuke's other hand grabbed the wrist under his chin and his outstretched arm jerked back and slammed into Tenten's chest, knocking her off balance as she was pinned back and partially off the blanket mat.

...

The stick-user looked from side to side on the floor before up at her partner's stern expression. She frowned, "I took too long, didn't I?"

"Yes you did."

Sasuke released the pin as Tenten sighed and laid sprawled out on the floor. She pouted on the ground at her defeat before opening one eye and seeing that her partner was offering a hand to help her up. She smiled and accepted the help as she was hefted up on her feet in one quick move. Sasuke handed the single stick back to her and she immediately absorbed it back to her Aura before it could disappear.

"Great job Tenten!" Naruto cheered as he congratulated his teammate, a big grin on his face. The blond was sitting atop his naked bed with his legs folded over each other. Each of their beds was stripped of their comforters to create the makeshift fighting mat at the center of the room. The whiskered teen grinned and bounced around with excitement, "See, I told you this was a great idea!"

"I'm not arguing that this wasn't a good idea, Naruto." Tenten reiterated with a bashful look on her face, "I was just surprised you guys would go this far to help me."

"Of course we would, Tenten! You wanted to train more, and that's exactly what we're gonna do." Naruto looked between all of them, "The three of us each use different fighting styles so if you can hold off against us, that'll help you get used to fighting with your new weapons. And we can use our free time to help you train and practice when there's nothing else going on."

"But you don't have free-"

"Because let's face it, if our friend is training to become stronger, then we need to do the same. And there's nothing more important than that."

"Naruto-"

"So for the rest of the day we'll be trading off rounds and sparring against you."

"You still-"

"Now I guess since you and Sasuke finished up, I'll take my turn. I'll just set the timer for-like-30 minutes and-"

"Naruto." The blond flinched when he heard the strict tone in his friends' voices as he looked up at the scowl on Sasuke and Tenten's faces. The brunette crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "How much more of your essay have you finished since we started?"

Naruto hesitated and was scared to look at his Scroll's screen, partially filled with text. He laughed nervously and shrugged, "I'm-uh-taking a break?"

Sasuke furrowed his eyes, "That's all you've been doing."

"I'm a slow writer?"

Tenten sighed and shook her head in disappointment. She looked towards the back of the room to see Kiba working on his bed too, notebook opened in front of him as he typed away on his device. She turned and glared pointedly at her leader, "I told you this would just distract you when you should be writing." The whiskered teen lowered his head shamefully as Tenten looked down at the blanket mat, "We shouldn't be doing this now. Let's pick the blankets up-"

"No, let's keep doing your thing." Kiba spoke up and got their attention, "Naruto was right about helping you train. You both finished your papers so you might as well use your time doing something productive. Also, honestly, the sparring and promise that I'll get to fight some too is the only thing making me not slam my head into a wall right now."

Tenten asked, "And you're sure it won't distract from your work?"

"I'm fine." Kiba grumbled with a scowl aimed at his Scroll, "Distracted or not this stupid paper will come out some time. Just tell me when it's my time to spar and I'm good."

"It's okay, Tenten." Naruto convinced her with a cheerful grin, "You wanna train so we're gonna help you train. We can handle our work and still help you. End of discussion."

The only female of NKTS looked at her team with gratitude and smiled, "Thanks guys."

"No problem. Now, time to switch things up!" Naruto jumped out of bed and stretched his arms, "I'll take the next few rounds and you can get used to fighting people like me! Now everyone step back-"

"No." Sasuke interrupted, "You need to keep writing. Sit. " Naruto sat back down quickly, "Kiba? You want a turn?"

"Absolutely." The wild-looking teen said with a smirk as he tossed his Scroll on the pillow and sprung up on his feet.

Sasuke stepped back and Tenten gave a nervous laugh at the excited look on Kiba's face, "You know, seeing you all amped up and ready to fight really makes me worried I made you mad or something."

"Not at all. I just really need to do something other than think and write." He held up his hands, "Tonfa please."

Tenten focused her Semblance as a pair of metal tonfa formed along her arms. She tossed them over and Kiba quickly snatched them up before spinning them in his hands. He held his arms up to fight and Tenten did the same with her sticks, "Let's go."

Kiba dashed forward and started exchanging blows as Tenten blocked them. Sasuke sat on his bed and watched his team spar in the center of the room before he looked over at Naruto. The leader was drumming on his knee and glaring down at his Scroll with contempt. He spoke up over the sound of clashing metal, "I thought you picked a subject you were good with?"

"I did. I'm know about the Vytal Festival and everything but I just suck putting it into words. And writing it on this stupid Scroll only makes it harder." He scrunched up his face in annoyance before looking up at his friend, "Why couldn't we just write these up again?"

"Because we've seen yours and Kiba's handwriting and this will be easier on Goodwitch."

"Whatever." He responded indignantly and scowled, "If you'd just let me train with Tenten I bet that'd help clear my mind."

"You'll get your turn but all you're doing is using training as a method of procrastinating." Naruto furrowed his eyes in argument but the raven-haired teen kept his dull expression firm and merely shrugged, "You still got work to do."

Naruto clicked his teeth and went back to his Scroll to work, "'Procrastinating'. I'm bored and I can't work, what's wrong with that? Bet I'm not the only one."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_'Our armors like tenfold shields, our teeth shred like swords, our claws spears of agony, the shock of our tails comes down like thunderbolts, our wings spread hurricanes, and our words are end. We are the fire, we are the-'_

"Blake?"

Damn. Just at the good part.

The black-haired girl looked up from her book to see a wave of golden hair hanging down from the bed above her. A pair of lilac eyes blinked down at her before the rest of Yang's face followed down. The buxom blonde had a disarming smile as she chuckled, "Wow, that's a dirtier look than you usually give me when I interrupt. What was it? You in the middle of a particularly saucy scene~?"

Blake rolled her eyes at the particular leer and raising eyebrows accompanying Yang's statement. She shook her head, "No, it's not that kind of story."

"Oh~. Then what kind of story is it?"

"It's a story where humanity faces Grimm, but the Grimm are actually sentient enough that they can speak." Blake answered with interest at explaining the topic, "It's actually quite amazing how they portray the Grimm with apperception. They explain their unyielding need to destroy things and when they stand against the main characters there's such a fierce tension in what they say. It delves into perception of evil and what separates us from-"

"Oh wow~." Yang droned with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, "That is so...interesting. You're not going on a Grimm bender because of your paper, are you?"

Blake's half-lidded eyes looked up at Yang with disdain at her mocking attitude before sighing in defeat. She gave up, "Yang, what is it? You obviously didn't want to talk about my book so what do you want?"

"Well~..." Yang lowered her Scroll into view and waved it over Blake's head, "I was actually kinda wondering if you would check over my paper. I mean I think it's totally perfect and awesome in every way, but y'know, 'through the eye of the beholder'." She lowered it closer to Blake, "Sooooo~?"

Blake looked between the Scroll and her partner several times before giving a small nod and closing a bookmark on the page. Yang grinned and jumped down from her bed before plopping down beside her partner. The stealthy girl gave her a strange look before submitting and letting Yang do what she wanted. She would have argued with the point that she wanted some personal space but...with Yang that'd probably just fall on deaf ears.

The amber eyes started dashing over the screen as she read through the paper with relative ease. It was good. Nothing groundbreaking but this was a school paper not some dissertation. Not many errors. A few punctuation problems and one or two run-ons but it definitely held up. Blake looked over at her partner, "You wrote about The Great War?"

Yang just shrugged casually, "Seemed like a subject I could write a lot about at the time. And there was a ton of stuff written about it too. Course getting all the facts and actually putting them into words is a totally different thing." She noticed Blake had stopped reading it over and had instead started touching and dragging her finger along the screen, "What are you doing?"

"Highlighting any mistakes I find. You can look over them and fix them however you want." She doubled checked and nodded before handing it back over, "Good work, Yang. That was a very nice essay. You did great."

"Awwwww~!" Yang cooed as she quickly grabbed her partner in a hug as the girl went rigid from the embrace. The blonde smiled and rubbed into the other girl, "Thanks, Blake! You're the best bestie a girl could ask for."

Blake was uncomfortable with the familiar smothering tendency of her partner and started fidgeting in her arms. Her squirming started to weaken before she looked at Yang suspiciously and asked like she had misheard her, "'Bestie'?"

"Well duh, of course you're my bestie. I see you every day and we hang out all the time. That pretty much fills all the criteria for making a best friend." Yang answered at she pulled back from the one-sided hug to grin, "You're my partner! My better half! The Schaussy to my Molder!"

"I don't think I get that last one. Is that a reference to something?"

"I'm gonna make you put down the books and watch some TV one of these days."

"I'd rather you didn't." Blake flatly responded before asking with some interest, "And have I done anything to exactly warrant a best friend status?"

"Do you really need to deconstruct everything?" Yang groaned reluctantly, "Look, stuff like that just happens. You makes friends. You click with some of them. They become best friends. It just happens. Granted it's pretty hard with you because you've got the social abilities of a cardboard box but you're still pretty cool." The hidden Faunus frowned and glared at the boxer for the jab. Yang separated until she had one arm around Blake's thinner shoulders and joked, "Now I get you probably think I'm annoying and don't share the feeling, but no worries. I'll persist and keep trying until I force you to think of me the same way."

Blake was...not excited about that idea, but she felt like she had to point something out that Yang misunderstood, "I don't think you're annoying, Yang. And I never meant to portray that feeling if that's what you thought." Blake looked Yang in the eyes and seemed timid to continue, "I'm just not...used to people being so forward and outgoing. I'm a little surprised by that to be honest but I don't think you're annoying." Blake answered honestly with shy look in her eyes, "You're my friend too."

Yang had a warm smile that was immediately followed by a huge grin and a tight hug, "Awww Blakey, you're so sweet~. I'm so glad you think of me like that!" She separated and gave the introverted girl a cheeky smirk, "I guess now all I have to do to make you feel the same is pester, bother, and bug you for however long I need to until I'm your bestie too!"

Blake paled, "Please don't."

"Too late."

***THWACK***

"SONUVA BITCH MY HAND!"

"Sorry, Kiba."

The girls spared a look at the wall behind them and the sudden exclamation that reverberated through, "Wonder what they're up to over there?"

"Who knows." Blake looked back to their room and nudged Yang's side, "But should we be more concerned about that?"

They looked over and saw Weiss sitting by the desk with her eyes closed and taking deep, calming breaths. The easy breathing method and peaceful position was totally contradicted by the barely contained scowl and twitching eyebrow on the heiress' face. Yang and Blake shared an uncertain look before the blonde asked, "Uhhhh, Weiss? You okay over there?"

"Just fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well because you look like you swallowed a basket of lemons."

"Or you have a knife in your gut and you're trying to ignore it."

"Or you're trying to pass something really fierce."

"I'll have you both know that I am perfectly calm and composed at the moment." Weiss answered with all the refined finesse she had developed from years of serious training from numerous professionals. She slightly shook her head and maintained the regal air, "I'm not at all perturbed or riled-"

"Teeheehee."

Weiss flinched at the soft giggling before taking a deep breath, "With what is happening in my surroundings-"

"Pfft-gehehehe."

The heiress' delicate eyebrow twitched furiously as she kept her cool, "I am serene and controlled-"

"Hehehe."

"I am unbound and not at all agitated-"

"Keeeee."

Weiss started grinding her teeth as a vein pulsed in her head, "With the thing that is totally and absolutely not my concern or problem at all!"

"Kehahahaha!"

"GAHHHH!" Weiss finally cracked and grabbed her head in anger before she started shaking and seething with rage, causing the two other girls to lean further back in Blake's bed for safety. The white-haired girl's shoulders raised up and down before she shuddered and looked back at them, "10 minutes. A ten minute break. That was it. That was 40 minutes ago. 40 minutes of her doing that!"

Blake and Yang looked up to see Ruby lying on her bed with a big smile and her headphones in as she watched her Scroll. She had fits of giggles and laughs at the video she was watching as Weiss stood up and marched over in front of their beds. She scowled and looked back at the other girls, "She hasn't finished her paper yet and she keeps putting it off to watch videos and goof around. She won't get anything done like this."

Yang looked up at the shorter girl, "Don't know what to tell you, Weiss. She just sorta likes to forget about things like this when they're so overbearing. If it helps she usually pushes out a decent paper when she's at the eleventh hour."

"That doesn't help, Yang. That doesn't help at all." Weiss looked back up at the top bed and furrowed her eyes before stepping on her own bed to lift herself up. She poked her head over the side and got a better look to see Ruby watching some video about a game while she giggled, completely unaware of Weiss' scornful face right beside her. She waited for her to notice...

...

...

...

Oh this little red-

"Ruby!"

"Eep!" She jumped in her spot and looked around in fright before she spotted Weiss' angry glare. Ruby slipped her headphones off and gulped in fear at the sight of her partner's ire. The young leader tried to defuse the tension with a shaky smile and wave, "H-hi Weiss. What's going on? E-everything cool~?"

"No. No it's not."

"O-oh. That's a shame." The youngest Huntress-in-training's eyes darted down towards her Scroll and she immediately covered it up to save herself the incrimination. She gave a coarse laugh and pulled it back to her as she shrunk under the icy blue eyes glaring daggers into her skin, "Well I was just in the middle of looking up information about the schools~. Yeah~. Working real hard on my research!" She unconvincingly said to ease her partner's rage to no avail, "Well I-um-I guess I'll get back to work-"

"Ruby, I know all you've been doing is watching videos." Weiss bluntly cutoff as her eyes narrowed at the hood-wearing girl. She snatched the Scroll out of her hands and turned the screen back on with a scowl, "'Peeved Players'?"

"Yeah. They released some new videos today and I just wanted to check them out." Weiss just looked up at her questioningly and Ruby realized she didn't know what she was talking about. She turned in her bed to face Weiss directly, "Oh c'mon, you've never heard about Peeved Players? You know, 'Hey I'm mad, actually I'm pretty well adjusted, and we're the Peeved Players, yay!'" Weiss just kept staring at her with blank confusion in her eyes. Ruby hummed before touching the screen and holding it out for Weiss to see, "Here, watch this."

_"Ohooo, looks like we've got a bit of a Vacuo Standoff going on right here."_

_"Mind game, man. Nothing but mind games. I'm just waiting for you to screw up."_

_"Oh really?"_

_"Yeah man I can stand here and do nothing all day! Watch as I meander and do noth-oh no! No no wait!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"No! No! NO! NO! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_"Pfft-kehehehe, I win."_

_"I SEE THAT!"_

Ruby peeked over the screen and saw Weiss' complete disinterest in the comedy in front of her even as Yang laughed behind them. She pouted before an idea popped into her head and she changed the video. She held it back out to her partner, "Okay Weiss, watch this!"

_"WRAHHHHHH! I'M DONE! JUST DONE! SCREW THE PLANTS! ALL THE PLANTS! I-I'M GONNA MAKE IT MY GOAL IN LIFE TO CUT DOWN ALL PLANTS AND GREEN AND FORESTS AND-GRAHHHHHHH!"_

_"You done?"_

_"Ugh, yes. I'm done."_

_"C'mon man, one more try. You can do it."_

_"You think?"_

_"I know so."_

_"Alright I'll give it one more try before I-No! I-I hit end! I hit end! No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

_"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god!"_

Weiss listened to the freak out and screaming on the screen and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. Ruby's eyes glimmered with hope at finally getting her partner to laugh and enjoy something she enjoyed, "See Weiss, I knew you'd like it! It's funny, right?"

"It is actually quite amusing. Can I see it real quick?" Ruby complied and handed her Scroll over in the hopes that she could get the white-clad girl interested in the same thing she liked. Weiss looked over the Scroll and seemed interested by the selection of videos-

But then immediately grabbed Ruby's ear and gave it a small squeeze, eliciting a quick yelp from the young girl. Ruby whimpered and opened her eyes to see the stern, unwavering look on Weiss' face. The heiress muttered, "You've been on a break for long enough. If you want help then I'm willing to assist you, but you need to get back to work. Okay?"

Ruby cheeks puffed up and she seemed like she wanted to say something before the words died and she nodded in agreement. The Schnee released her hold on the ear and the leader of RWBY gently rubbed it to alleviate the sting. Ruby hung her legs off the side before jumping down to join the heiress, looking miserable and sad the whole time as she was led towards the desk like she was on death row. She sat down and hung her head sadly as Weiss stood over her like a vigilant hawk.

"There's a typo there by the way."

"Ugh." Ruby started getting back to work and realized Weiss was making no effort to step back. She asked with genuine confusion, "I thought you weren't gonna help because this wasn't your problem?"

"It's not." The girl crossed her arms and huffed irritably at the unfortunate truth, "Sadly, you are my problem, and I need to make sure you get this done so hop to it."

"Weiss you don't-"

"Stop complaining and get back to work you dingus!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

Blake and Yang just stared at the strange scene in wonder and watched Weiss ruthlessly berate Ruby. Yang watched her sister talk and bond with her partner-no matter how much either of them denied the arguing as anything but them getting along. But as the older sister watched her little sister get along with the heiress she felt a tinge of something grow in her belly. Envy? Jealousy? The feeling like someone was replacing her spot by her baby sister's side? It was probably all of those. But one feeling still trumped all of that uncertainty she was experiencing.

She was happy her antisocial, nerdy little sister had finally gotten the heiress to warm up to her.

Yang smiled and hid a chuckle before nudging Blake's shoulder, "At least we aren't best friends like them, right?"

"We are not best friends! That is your opinion and no one else's!"

"What?! Weiss, you're not my friend?!"

"Don't you start!"

Blake's shoulders slumped but she gave a light laugh at the antics of her team. She had never been used to people acting like this around her or interacting with her like this. And it was still very foreign and different to her. But she was looking forward to the day that was no longer the case.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Tenten shuffled on her feet and gripped her sticks tighter as a low growl came out. She furrowed her eyes at the cocky smile the whiskered blond was sporting as he bounced on his feet and easily spun the short stick around in his hand. He smirked as he got into a ready stance and held the short stick close to prepare for her attack.

Tenten was afraid of this. She had always thought Naruto was surprisingly agile and quick to avoid so many attacks so closely in fights. But now she knew for certain that her leader was just downright slippery!

Naruto stopped shifting in place and jerked forward, making Tenten flinch and raise her sticks up in defense as Naruto jabbed and slammed his weapon against her hand. She yelped and shook her hand to get the feeling back as she used her other hand to swing and thrust at the blond's head. But the teen leaned and duck beneath the swipes to completely avoid them before stepping in for his own.

Tenten's stick strikes blocked and parried the blond's jabs. She swung out to catch his head but the blond moved underneath it and stepped forward to get inside Tenten's guard. She quickly stepped to the side and gained the distance again before rapidly swinging and chamber her strikes for extra strength. Naruto knocked them aside as fast as they came before grabbing her outstretched arm and pulling her in. He swung down on her head-

***DUNG***

Metal smacked metal and the stick violently reverberated in his hand. Tenten's forehead was covered in metal and she smirked in return at his surprise. That was the whole point of these exercises. To adapt new tactics and ways to fight different opponents. She didn't have to stick just with her weapons.

She lunged forward and knocked her head into Naruto's chin as he grunted and stumbled back. She pulled her arm out of his grip and swung up at his head, but hit only air as he ducked again before it could land. The blond barreled into her chest and kicked up one of her feet as she lost balance. She nearly fell over on him as he shifted her weight and threw her over his shoulder. She landed on her back and Naruto came down to land the last strike-

***Donk***

Naruto stopped mid-swing when he felt the light tap on the crown of his head. He stayed frozen over the downed girl and looked at where she had tapped his head from her position on the floor. Tenten was panting slightly and catching her breath before a shaky smile came over her face, "I didn't take long this time."

Naruto have a small chuckle and nodded, "Way to go, Tenten." He laughed again and his opponent joined in before he flinched and rubbed his chin gingerly, "Ouch."

"Oh, sorry!" Tenten apologized as she sat back up and looked over her friend in worry that she might of hurt him worse than expected, "I'm sorry, Naruto. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said with a cheerful smile, "Barely stung at all."

"Really?"

"Nope. But I didn't wanna worry you."

She was so caught up in the fighting and training that she forgot that Naruto's Semblance and Aura were kinda weird. His Aura healed damage instead of protecting him like armor, which explained why he always dodged and moved in fights. And his healing worked a lot faster on his injuries than any of theirs did which she kinda envied. But she did not envy how careful he had to be and how he had to take the full brunt of injuries like he did.

That was a constant worry of hers and the team when she saw him spar or fight. They knew how strong and resilient he was but one wrong move and...

It was not a pleasant thought.

She asked with a lot of care in her voice, "Do you want to stop?"

"Nah I'm good." He tapped his chin for emphasis that it was no longer a problem, "See? All healed up. I'm fine."

Tenten didn't look convinced before Sasuke spoke up from his bed, "He'll be all right Tenten, so don't worry." The brunette looked reluctant to agree and the swordsman just shrugged, "Why don't you take a break? You've been sparring longer than any of us." Tenten gave a small nod and took her weapons back into her Aura as she stepped over to rest on her bed. Naruto scowled over at his friend, "You can take a breather and Naruto can get some more work done on his essay."

The blond scoffed, "No need. I'm almost finished. One more paragraph and I'm cleared. Told you I had it under control." A cocky sneer formed on his whiskered face as he look over at his frustrated partner, "Unlike some people~."

"Shut up."

Naruto chided his partner, "Come on Kiba, I thought you had this all figured out. In the bag~. Easy money."

"I said shut up."

"You know I said that whole 'I'm becoming smarter than you' thing as a joke and to get under your skin but at this rate it's gonna be true." Naruto's teeth showed in his bold, mocking grin, "How's it gonna feel knowing you're dumber than me?"

Kiba looked up and glared at Naruto viciously, holding himself back from a roar and pounce that would end with the blond screaming on the floor with a fist in his mouth. But the Inuzaka took a deep breath to calm his wrath and focused back on the task at hand. Plus it was exactly what Naruto wanted. He wanted to know he was getting under his skin. If he threw a punch, the blond won.

Look at him with that smug, punch-hungry face. He was begging for a knuckle to the tooth.

The tattooed teen sighed and ran his hand over his head tiredly. He relented and just stared at his Scroll in defeat, "I'm blanking. I can't go on anymore."

Naruto chuckled before asking, "What are you writing about anyway?"

"Faunus."

He nodded as Tenten asked from her bed, "Well what are you blanking on?"

"Just trying to think about a few things regarding their traits and characteristics. Like how their physical features show up and how they can or don't differ by generation." Kiba scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Have you guys ever met a reptilian or amphibious Faunus? Because I don think I've ever met someone like that before."

"I think I've met someone like that before."

"Not me."

"A few actually."

"Hmm." Kiba shrugged and chalked it up to different locations and areas they lived in. He leaned back against the wall by his bed and thought out loud, "Does night vision have disadvantages?" His team looked at him oddly and he just shrugged, "What? I'm just wondering. Like it it hurts if the lights keep switching and if it takes a moment to adjust." His shoulders slumped and he looked down at his Scroll, "Naruto, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"The night vision thing. Does that happen or not?"

Naruto raised his brow, "Why are you asking me?"

"Well I'm asking a Faunus a question only a Faunus can answer, dumbass. Now are you gonna help or just keep being a jerk the whole time because if you are I'm gonna look it up on the net."

...

Naruto, Sasuke, and Tenten all looked over at Kiba with varying expressions of shock and surprise. The blond stared at his partner in utter disbelief at what he just said in passing. He turned around and spoke with a shaky tone, "What did you just say?"

"I said are you going to be a jerk or help me?"

"N-no, before that."

"Night vision! Do your eyes adjust fast enough or-"

"No!" Naruto grabbed Kiba's shoulder and forced the tattooed boy to look him in the eye as he asked with urgency, "Kiba...you said I was a Faunus. How did you know?"

Kiba seemed confused by his question, "Know what?"

"That I was a Faunus!" Naruto answered more pointedly before shaking his head and pointing at his striped bandana, "Did you see under this? Did you see them?"

Kiba just tilted his head, "Were you hiding them?"

Naruto just stared at the brown-haired boy in complete disbelief. He released his grip on Kiba's shoulders and stepped back as his foot scrunched up the blanket mat beneath him. He ran his hands down his face before looking back at Sasuke for an answer.

The black-haired teen was just as blindsided by this revelation as he was. Sasuke looked over at Kiba and tried to get the situation under control, "Kiba, when did you figure out Naruto was a Faunus? When did you know?"

"When did I know?" Kiba repeated as he looked up in deep thought, "Um...the day we met in the forest."

The first day. He saw through him the first day they met.

Naruto barely contained his shock and mumbled into his hands. But Sasuke felt his curiosity peak as he asked again, "But how could you tell?"

Kiba just gave an uncommitted shrug and ambiguous hum, "I just knew." The others looked at him strangely before he snapped his fingers, "But I was using my Semblance when me and him first met. Now that I think about it that's probably how I knew. Humans, animals, and Faunus all give off different scents and different presences. I can tell better with Feral so I just knew."

The whiskered blond grumbled into his hands before just looking at Kiba in a mix of defeat, worry, confusion, dread, and resignation. He shook his head, "Why?" He asked, "If you knew all this time then why didn't you say anything?"

Kiba looked between them like he was waiting for them to continue talking. When they didn't he just scratched his head, "Why would I?Faunus? Human? Who gives a shit? It's all the same in my book." Kiba then furrowed his brow at the blond, "Wait, so you were trying to hide it?"

"Yeah." Naruto answered with a grumble, "Thought it was a pretty good one too. But apparently not good enough for..." He motioned to Kiba's entire form, "Whatever you do."

"Huh." Kiba leaned on his elbows and smiled smugly, "Hey if it makes you feel any better I know Bl-"

"No!" The blond lunged forward and covered Kiba's mouth before he could finish talking. The leader looked at his partner and shook his head, "No. Kiba, I'm one thing, but you have to promise that you tell absolutely no one about her. That is not our secret to divulge. Promise me you'll be quiet."

Kiba couldn't respond with his mouth being muffled but he did answer with a firm nod. The blond pulled back as the two conveyed their promise of silence before Naruto gained a worried look.

Sasuke already knew. Kiba knew, apparently. But now...

He turned around and looked at Tenten as she had remained stunned silence through this whole epiphany. Naruto lowered his head in guilt and scratched his neck before facing her directly, "Tenten, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never told you or Kiba about me. The real me." He said with a point towards his head, "I-I was going to tell you one day, I swear."

Tenten just kept staring up at him in silence.

He struggled to find the words, "It's just...I've been doing this for a long time. And it's been easier to keep it hidden...then to reveal it. I didn't mean to make you think I don't trust you both! I...I hope you can understand."

She didn't say anything.

"Tenten? Can you say something? Anything?"

"..." Tenten's eyes shifted to the side for a moment and she waited before a nervous smile slipped out, "I-um..." She looked like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "I figured it out before today."

...

"What."

"Yeah~." She scratched the back of her head, "Do you remember a few weeks back when I woke you up for class and patted your head?"

He shook his head, "No. Not at all."

"Well you were really sleepy and out of it. It was when you and Sasuke were staking out Wilsk's and getting home-doesn't matter." Tenten looked up at him, "I patted your head and I swore I felt some lumps under your nightcap. I then started thinking about it and noticed other little behaviorisms you had. And I..." She shrugged, "Took a guess."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. Kiba nodded with pride at his friend's deduction. Naruto-

"Ugggggggggggggggggggggh." Naruto moaned as he lumbered over to his bed and fell straight onto the mattress. He muffled into the pillow, "Whyyyyyyyyyyy? Great disguise this was!"

The others watched Naruto scream and mope in his bed before Kiba looked over at Sasuke for confirmation, "He gonna be okay?"

Sasuke sighed, "I'm not sure. We were not expecting this to happen." He looked over at Tenten, "But why didn't you say anything?"

The bun-haired girl seemed to struggle with a proper answer much more than Kiba did. She slumped her shoulders, "Because if he didn't tell us then, maybe there was a reason. And I didn't want to press him for it. And-well, Kiba's right. It doesn't matter." Tenten sat up in the bed and spoke out to her leader, "Naruto...can we see them?"

...

Meh. Why not? They knew already.

A limp hand dropped on the back of his head and fiddled with the knot. He undid the bandana and let it slip off before sitting up and turning back towards his teammates. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the yellow ears that twitched and shook a little after being freed from their confines.

Tenten smiled, "They're cute."

A light pink hue formed on Naruto's face at the unexpected compliment as his ears lowered on his head, "Don't tease."

"They're just ears." Kiba stated, "Now back on the matter of night vision-"

"Hey hey!" Tenten sat up with cheer and grinned towards her leader, "Now that we know are you gonna stop wearing the bandana? Or you can take it off when it's just us in the room if you want."

...

Naruto remained silent as he grabbed the cloth and quickly wrapped it back over his head as his ears disappeared. Kiba and Tenten just looked at him in confusion as he shook his head, "No. I'll keep it on."

"But-"

"Guys." The two looked towards Sasuke as he had a firm look on his face and shook his head, "He just wants to keep it on. Leave it at that."

...

Tenten looked dejected at the thought that Naruto would prefer keeping this hidden still despite their knowing. And for some reason, Sasuke agreed with that choice. For whatever reason the look in their eyes and the tone in their voices was so much different from the usual boys she knew. But she felt and knew that forcing the issue would probably only lead to an argument or worse.

"Okay." She and Naruto met eyes and she smiled, "Thank you for showing us." Naruto smiled with gratitude for her understand-

"Yes! Wonderful! Everyone is happy!" Kiba cheered sarcastically, "But seriously! Night vision! Answer the question Naruto, I need to finish this stupid paper already!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Jaune, are you okay?"

The scraggly blond teen look up from his stagnant paper towards the concerned expression on Pyrrha's face. He nodded and tried to ease her worry if only slightly, "Yeah, I'm good. Kinda drawing a blank on what to do for the last two paragraphs but I'm fine."

"You are?" The champion inquired as she slid her chair closer to his side and leaned over to get a better look at his paper. He noticed what she was doing and, hoping that she might be able to suggest something to get the brain going again, pushed it over for her to see better. She skimmed over it and asked, "How were you thinking of ending it?"

"Don't know." Jaune went over the previous paragraphs, "I spent some time comparing the Kingdoms' polices and stuff so I thought I'd write about how they're different now." He then pointed to the other end of the table, "At least that's what Ren suggested."

"Essays on comparing and contrasting aspects can fill up dozen of pages with the proper information." Ren stated as he turned the page of his book, "I thought Jaune would have an easier time writing like that considering it was about the councils and governments."

"Yeah. But I'm from Vale so I only really know what Vale's rules are like." Jaune gave a small shrug, "Actually that's a total lie. I had no idea what Vale's council does so I looked it up on the web."

"That's understandable. Politics is a heavy subject to try and approach with limited knowledge." Pyrrha agreed with his statement. Trying to compare and contrast politics of different Kingdoms sounded like a frightening subject to come into blind. Perhaps Jaune just wanted to test himself and expand his knowledge of different parts of Remnant? Or more likely he probably had to choose from the leftover topics. She sat up and looked at him with an answer, "I can help you if you want. I'm from Mistral and even if I don't have a deep knowledge about the process there, I can still help you however I can."

A glimmer of hope seemed to fill the dark tunnel that was his mind before a tinge of guilt took its place. He looked around the library and saw the orange tint that had settled over the entire room as the sun began to set. They had come in here to put the finishing touches on their essays at noon, and now he was the only one still working on it even now.

He looked troubled and turned to his kind partner, "Thanks Pyrrha but I've already made you and the others stick around long enough."

She shook her head, "Nonsense. You're my partner, and if you need my help then I'll be here to help. Also Ren seems perfectly content." The quietest member of the team sent a small wave to indicate he was fine reading a little longer, "And Nora..."

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~." The usually excitable girl rested her head on the table and let out a guttural groan at the lack of stimuli she was suffering from.

Jaune and Pyrhha stared at her for a bit before the redhead gave him a nervous smile, "She's resting?"

"I'm booooooooooored~." The short but strong girl corrected. Pyrrha's mouth shut as her effort to prove to Jaune they were fine with waiting was being rendered moot by the bored ginger, "I don't wanna be bored anymore~!" She droned before enthusiastically pointing at Jaune with a grin, "Jaune!"

He sat up in his seat, "Y-yeah?"

"Quickly! Write the rest of the paper up in an instant!" She announced with gleeful expectation for the blond, "Gain the speed of lightning and complete your assignment in a flash! Nnnnnnow!" The others looked between each other to see if anything happened as Nora just stayed frozen. Her eyes darted around before repeating, "Nnnnnnow!"

"Nora!"

The hammer-wielder fell back in her seat with a grumpy pout, "Poo. I thought that would work."

She immediately started to shrink back at the accusing looks she was getting from both Pyrrha and Ren. The redhead was the first to reprimand her, "Nora, you shouldn't pressure someone into finishing their work like that. Jaune can take his time and finish it like he wants."

"Well yeah, he can totally do that." Nora agreed before tapping her finger on the table, "I'd just like if he did it faster. I'm hungry."

Ren rubbed the bridge of his nose and calmly spoke up to his oldest friend, "Nora, you only just finished writing your paper a few minutes ago. It's a bit hypocritical to demand Jaune finish his so soon when you had the same problem."

"Yeah but that was the me then and this is the me now! And now me is starving!" Nora slumped over again with bags under her eyes, "Food~. Necessity~."

The others looked at each other in exasperation as they tried to figure out a way to keep Nora occupied before they went to eat. Ren came up with an idea, "Nora, we're all a little bored actually. Why don't we do something to pass the time?" He looked around the library for a suitable distraction, "I think I saw a big book of fairy tales and stories over there. How about that?"

"Oh!" Nora jumped up to her feet with a huge smile on her face, "Great idea Ren! Story time! Be right back!"

The short girl dashed away in a flash and left a massive gust of wind in her wake that billowed across her friends and nearly blew away Jaune's papers. The blond and redhead looked at the boy with the pink highlight as Ren gave a small nod, "She's a surprisingly good storyteller. It might do us all some good to take a break."

Nora dashed in again with a massive leather-bound book in her arms that nearly broke the table when she dropped it down. She took a seat beside Ren and Jaune and started flipping the pages of the massive book to find one she particularly loved. Jaune leaned over to peak at the book she was shuffling through and saw the stories getting passed over, "Wow~. That's a whole lotta stories."

"That's an edition of the book that holds accounts of the oldest fairy tales and stories passed on from our ancestors." The redhead stated as she recognized the book as the same one she found in the library back in Mistral. She fondly remembered the nostalgic experience of looking through the book before the librarians would come tell her to leave it alone, "It was written by the people with the best recollection of the stories immediately after the Great War had finished. Once some of the older books and pieces of art were destroyed, they had to write them down again before they were forgotten. These are basically the originals for all the modern day stories we remember."

Jaune hummed in excitement as he read some titles that Nora flipped through, "Shallow Sea. The Brothers' War? Story of The Seasons. The...The Faunus Noble Guards? Never heard that one before?"

"You probably have. Have you read The Majesties of Menagerie?" Jaune nodded to Ren's question as the boy shrugged, "It's the same story but with slight changes. They took the original Noble Guards story and reprinted it during the Faunus Revolution to better publicize human relations with Faunus. It made them seem better while changing a heroic tale of Faunus into one where the heroes are cruel kings and queens abusing their followers. It also made humans look a lot better by playing them out as heroes and liberating the Faunus to move to Menagerie."

Jaune actually reeled back in his seat from the dark truth behind an old fairy tale he read with his family years ago. He felt his chest go cold a little and looked over at Pyrrha for confirmation. The redhead had a sad look in her eyes and she shook her head, "We weren't in the best of places all those years ago. It was a bad time."

"Ahhhhh!" Nora cry of irritation garnered her friends' attention again as she grumbled, "I can't find the scary stories! They got all these fairy tales but they don't have School of The Undead! That sucks!"

"Really?" Pyrrha questioned before giving a small nod, "Well it makes sense. These books retell the stories from before the war. The schools were only set up after it happened. They wouldn't be in there."

Ren nodded, "She's right, Nora. You won't find a story on Elysium in that book." Nora looked ready to yell-

"Wait hold on." Jaune spoke up and looked between his team, "What's the School of the Undead? What's Elysium?"

"Whhhhhat?" The ginger girl jumped out of her seat and stood over Jaune with anticipation, "You've never heard of Elysium, The Hunting School of the Undead?!"

"Um...no?"

"Scary story time!" She cheered, "He needs to hear this! We need darkness and a scary source of light!"

"Nora, it's the afternoon, it's not dark enough-"

The ball of perpetual energy that was Nora dashed over and returned with a black sheet in hand, "Tada!"

"Did you just rip off the drapes-"

"Shhhh!" Nora silenced her friend before he could incriminate her, "Ren, you're spoiling the mood."

She threw the tarp over them and Team JNPR found themselves in a void of darkness. Nora slipped under the tarp as well and turned her Scroll on under her chin to cast her in a scary light. She cackled evilly and spoke in a particularly husky voice, "Well children, are you ready for a tale that will scare you to your very core~?"

Jaune: "Um, okay?"

Pyrrha: "I suppose?"

Ren: "Aren't we in a library?"

"Years ago, when the hunting schools were being made, they also built graveyards and cemeteries for the people that died during the war not too far away. The new students would go into the school during the day, and pay respects for the heroes that died at night. And this went on for many, many years. But then one day, people swore they could hear voices coming from the cemetery. Wails and cries from the casualties of war that wished they could have trained and learned to fight before they died. The ghostly wails got louder and louder every day until...they stopped."

Jaune gulped, "T-they did?"

"People wondered why the voices stopped. They visited the cemeteries and tried to find the cause of the noise but found every single grave had been emptied." Nora went silent and looked between her teammates, each of them looking towards her intently as she had gripped their attention, "The people were baffled! The bodies were nowhere to be found! Until they heard noises...from the combat schools at night."

"No."

"Oh yes. People took up arms and marched into the combat schools. And in the darkness there was the wafting scent of decayed flesh and dirt in the air. They traveled further in and finally found them. The bodies of the dead that had lost their lives in the war. But they were armed. And standing. And swinging their weapons around like they were alive again. The dead had come back life. To learn to truly fight so they wouldn't die again. But when they noticed the living people that had snuck up on them, that had taken their sacrifice for granted, there was no mercy. They pounced, ripping off flesh and tearing things apart! The sounds of organs and blood were like BLARGGHSRHIPPLUGHHHHH and then they were like-"

"Stop!" Jaune pulled out of the tarp and held his beating chest as he shook the vivid imagery out of his head. The other members of his team slipped out with varying degrees of amusement at his reaction. He shivered a little and tried to get the color back in his cheeks, "I. Do not. Like horror movies. Or stories. Or any stuff with organs and blood and-o-oh God."

"But it was a good story, right?" Nora begged with a big smile on her face while she bounced in her seat, "I love that story so much! It's so creepy and cool! I should keep telling you guys all the creepy, scary stories I know! And we can do them at night in the room so they're even creepier!"

Jaune let out a fragile whine as Pyrrha couldn't contain her laughter anymore. She giggled into her hand and looked to the orange-haired girl, "I'm not quite sure that's the best idea, Nora. I don't think Jaune could handle them."

"But they are so good~!" Nora pointed to her partner with a grin, "And we can do it while Ren makes pancakes for dinner! We used to do that all the time! It's the best!"

Pyrrha and Jaune spared the green-clad boy a look and Ren gave a noncommittal shrug, "It doesn't sound like it but they can be quite delicious as a late-night treat."

The JNPR crew smiled at the thought before they turned towards their leader for his say. The blond felt very conscious of their looks and scratched his cheek with a smile, "Well, I guess that's something we can do in the future. But they better be great pancakes and stories that won't leave me trembling in bed."

"They're the best and you'll totally have nightmares! That's a Nora guarantee!"

That totally defeated the purpose...but lord her enthusiasm was infectious.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Done!" Kiba roared as he tossed his Scroll over on his bed, "Finally!" A wave of applause was accompanied with his friends' cheers as he bowed, "Thank you! Thank you! I can't say it was nothing because it wasn't! That was a pain in the ass!"

"Congrats, Kiba. You did it."

"And with time to spare."

Naruto gave a louder applause and a teasing grin aimed to his partner, "Way to go. We were wondering what was taking you so long."

Kiba groaned, "All right that's enough with the jokes. I'm done and that's that." He demanded before he fell back into his bed with a loud yawn, "This day can finally end!"

He may be exaggerating but today had been eventful. They finished their essays. Tenten got a ton of training in with each of them. And most surprisingly, Naruto's secret had been revealed without him even saying anything...

Yeah. Long day.

Naruto finished with his jokes and pointed out to Kiba, "Y'know why I think it took you so long? Because you were trying to put all those facts you got from those books in it too." He smiled, "You should've just got it all from the internet like I did."

...

Surprise spread between the other members of NKTS as they looked towards Naruto, "But you did use a book, right?"

He shook his head, "No. I got all the facts I needed from the web like I said." He noticed the unanimous groan and palming of faces between his teammates and he didn't know why, "What is it?"

"You were supposed to have at least one book source for your paper."

...

"You're lying."

"He's not. We each needed at least one book."

"You're lying. You're all lying." He looked between them with fear in his eyes, "You're getting back at me for something, right?"

"It's the truth."

Naruto's eyes seemed to constrict in horror before they returned to normal, "Fine, if you guys wanna play me that's cool! I'll just ask Ruby and she'll tell the truth!" He started typing away on his Scroll before sending the message, "There! Now we wait and see."

...

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"YOU DOLT!"

The screaming from the other side of the wall was drowned out by the subsonic burst that immediately followed. Naruto's confidence started to die as his jaw hung agape.

"And you're worried I'm becoming an idiot." Kiba spat out before pointing to the door, "Library's still open for 30 minutes. You might wanna getting running, champ."

"WAIT FOR ME RUBY!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Jaune sat alone at the table as he tapped his pencil against the wood. He was the only member of Team JNPR still waiting around in the library as he sent his friends off to get some dinner ahead of him and call it a day. He wanted to check over the stuff he had written one last time before he called it quits. Ren and Pyrrha were reluctant to leave but honored his decision. Nora was all too ready to dash out of the dreary library and get some nourishment. She was bored again after the librarian confiscated the story book and drapes at the request of all the other people studying at the time. Apparently they were causing a ruckus and needed to quiet down.

Made sense considering he pretty much yelled for Nora to stop telling that creepy story about zombies and mutilation and-

"Oh geez." He covered his face again at the uneasy feeling and gargle his stomach gave. Bad thoughts.

He swallowed the nasty taste and went back to focusing on his work. It was late now and he just wanted to finish like the others. He completed the paper, but with his lack of knowledge concerning the Kingdoms, he was second-guessing everything he had written down. Why couldn't he just be satisfied with what he had put down like the others were? Why-

"Book!"

Jaune was startled out of his thoughts as Ruby's terrified shriek pierced the silence as she came rushing in with a trail of rose petals. The red-hooded girl started dashing and appearing between the rows of bookshelves, "Where is it?! Where is it?! There has to be one! Ohhhh, Weiss is gonna kill me!"

"Move!" Naruto came rushing in and tossed Ruby aside as he too started combing over the row of books, "Vytal Festival! Vytal Festival! Where's the damn book about the Festival?!"

"Don't shove!" The blond let out a pained gasp as he was knocked back when Ruby came barreling into his side, "I was here first!"

"There's enough space!"

"I need this more!"

"That's where you're wrong!"

The blond boy and dark-haired girl disappeared in blurs around the shelves. Jaune watched them like this for a moment before they both came over to his table and slammed their books on the tabletop.

"We did it!"

"Yes!" The two leaders cheered with grins. They remained silent for a moment before they looked towards Jaune as he watched them in silence.

He waved, "Hey Naruto. Hey Ruby. You guys working on your papers today?"

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby greeted as she sat down on one end of the table, "You been working hard too?"

"Pretty much."

"Yeah~." Naruto sat and haggardly shook his head, "This paper was a lot harder than I thought it'd be."

Jaune nodded, "Yeah. But it probably didn't help that we only remembered we had them yesterday."

"Oh yeah." Ruby agreed.

"Well that too." Naruto said through a yawn. He tapped the book in front of him, "This book source thing totally sucks."

"I know! The others were so angry with me when I forgot about getting a book!" Ruby sadly mumbled as she shuffled in her seat at the thought. She looked over at the armor-clad blond, "Did you remember the thing about a book, Jaune?"

He hummed, "Yeah. Pyrrha and Ren reminded me before I forgot."

"Man, having nice people on your team must be nice." Naruto muttered with some disdain. His friends didn't remind him about the book source before it was too late. All they did was worry about him, constantly make sure he was on top of this assignment, and accept him for what he is while also promising to keep his secret. But besides that...um...Kiba had a stupid face.

"Hey, my team's nice too." Ruby defended, "Weiss is always watching out for me. I mean she's usually angry when she does but it's the thought that counts. And Blake helps me out when I need to study. Plus, Yang is Yang, so she always has my back. They just sorta forgot that I forgot about the book...so...yeah."

The boys laughed a little at Ruby's weak defense before even the hooded girl got a laugh out of it. The group of leaders quieted down a little and sat around in companionable silence.

"Did you guys think this would happen when we first came here?"

They looked towards Jaune after he had asked the strange question, "What do you mean?"

"I mean did you guys ever think we would come this far?" Jaune asked again with more volume as he looked around them, "On the first day I met you guys, I never thought I would be accepted here. Or that I'd become the leader of a team."

Ruby and Naruto looked between each other before small smiles formed on their features. They remembered their first day too. Three weirdos, meeting together after getting lost around the campus and in desperate need of some friends. Jaune just finished emptying out his stomach contents on Yang's boots and into a trashcan. Naruto had been pulled out of his life of crime and wandering around blind after Sasuke had run off. And Ruby had just been accepted to Beacon years ahead of schedule, making a great first impression with her future partner via an explosive sternutation.

God, that was only a few months ago but it felt like a lifetime.

Naruto grinned and looked towards the girl across from him, "You remember how frightened you were about coming to this school? You were worried nobody would like you. But now..."

Ruby giggled a little and shuffled in her seat bashfully, "I love being at this school. I'm really glad I came."

"Yeah, me too." Naruto said returned with a big smile directed at his two friends, "I'm glad I came here and met all of you. And thank you two, for becoming my friends."

Jaune and Ruby both blushed lightly at his thanks as they laughed and returned his smile. Ruby picked up her book and held it closely before stepping out from the table, "The others are probably gonna be worried if I take too long. Bye Naruto. Bye Jaune. See you guys tomorrow."

The hooded girl walked off and Naruto tapped his big book as well, "I need to check this out before the place closes off rentals." He stood up and kept the book under his armpit before mock saluting to the other blond, "Don't work too hard, Jaune. See you later."

"Bye." The Arc boy waved his friend goodbye before he disappeared down the cornered and his footsteps soon after. The JNPR leader sat in silence and looked down at his paper again as he realized what was plaguing him. Why it was the rest of his team could so easily finish their work and he was left an uncertain mess.

Because they knew what they were doing. What they were after.

He remembered coming to Beacon on the first day and meeting Naruto and Ruby. He connected and empathized with them so easily because they all had things in common. They were all unsure and hesitant to see what could go wrong while they were at Beacon. And for the longest time it seemed like that was a factor they were all going to share.

But Ruby had become so confident and eager. Where she was frightened about how she wouldn't be accepted here at school, she had a team that would follow her anywhere. She had gained the respect of Weiss, and was prepared for anything the future might hold.

And Naruto had been taken off the streets while he was a thief. As weird as that thought was, Jaune felt a stronger connection with him because of that. They were both people that had found themselves in an unfamiliar place and felt like they didn't belong. But Naruto had remained brave and strong. He had rallied him and their friends to face a great evil and they came out victorious. And even though they didn't plan on it, the world had become a better place because of it. Now the other blond was happily meeting every day with the same courage and readiness.

And him?

He was a leader now. Leader of Team JNPR. He was in charge of some amazing and incredible individuals. Ren was so composed and intelligent and peaceful and serene. Nora was bursting forth with energy and joy and strength. And Pyrrha was kind and compassionate and perfection in human form. He was in charge of all their futures together. They wanted to fight and prove themselves in that tournament. To the world. They had such hopes for what their team could do...

But as long as they had him...as long as he was holding everything back...

Jaune gave a heavy sigh, sliding his paper out of sight and resting his face in his palms. He shook his head with such derision, feeling a heavy weight of guilt settle on him and almost wanting to cry. His voice came out sad and lonely as he spoke up to no one, "What am I going to do?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**And another milestone passed. Now we are getting somewhere!**_

_**While I hope you guys enjoyed this arc, filled with Tenten's growth, guardians' decisions, and the teams coming a little closer together, I'm glad we're past it!**_

_**Because now...we're on our way to my favorite stuff.**_

_**How many times have I said that before? Need to start keeping count.**_

_**Whatever.**_

_**Anyway, there was a quick little revelation with Naruto and his team, but this is only the beginning. Now that they know, it's time for Naruto to decide what he wants to do about it. This is the tip of the iceburg. And so much more to come for everyone. Some good. Most bad. All fun(for us, not them).**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	31. The Squire's Plight

Hunting or Bust

Dust 26: The Squire's Plight

Birth of a Hero Arc...begin.

RWBY Chibis. Oh. My. Hey Zeus.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

He was weightless.

It was amazing.

The sensation like gravity had let him go and he was just floating in the air.

He remembered one other time he felt like this, and that was when that Death Stalker sent him flying over the treetops.

Wait. He wasn't flying then. He was thrown and gradually falling.

Oh right...that's what's happening right now.

"GAH!" Jaune yelped as he landed straight on his back after getting thrown across the stage. He groaned and used his shield and sword to lift himself back up before looking at his opponent.

Cardin Winchester strolled forward with an extra bit of swagger in his step. His mace was propped up on his shoulder with an unbearably conceited smirk on his face. This guy just loved knocking him down on his back.

Not just when he smacks books out of his hands. Or pins him in a doorway with his own shield. Or that time with the rocket lockers.

He adored the moments when he knocked him around like a doll for everyone in their class to see. Not that that was anything different for Jaune. Whether he fought Naruto or Ruby or Kiba or Blake, it all ended the same way.

But Cardin was different. He relished in putting him down.

Jaune steadied himself up to his feet and held _Crocea Mors_ up to prepare for another go. Cardin noticed his second wind and smiled even more as he hefted his mace off his shoulders. He spun the massive weapon in his grip once before holding it out towards the blond leader.

Jaune narrowed his eyes and stood his ground, the various cheers and calls from the people around them did nothing to calm his nerves. Neither did the big, explosive weapon that he knew for a fact could nearly split open a skull with one bad hit.

The weird thing was even though Jaune was scared at the moment...Cardin wasn't the scariest person he had ever crossed. The other people and friends he had the misfortune of being pitted against all overwhelmed him but they never attacked with malice. The person that had that in spades and held the trophy for most frightening person Jaune ever faced off against...had to be the Wilsk guy they beat.

That guy was just filled with bad intentions and killing intent when they faced off against him. Wielding that crazy big sword and letting all that Dust energy surge off it like a storm of elements. That was terrifying.

Even though Cardin was scary, he wasn't nearly as bad as that guy was. And that gave Jaune enough confidence to keep getting up and fighting the armor-clad bully.

Unfortunately, even though Jaune had faced a scarier opponent and had some phantom sense of security in that fact, his skills and abilities hadn't caught up with that courage.

He yelled and charged forward with his sword at the ready. Cardin halted his walk and held his mace up to defend. Jaune brought his sword down and across as quickly as he could against Cardin who lazily blocked them with minimal effort. His smirk never wavered even against the clashing metal and sparks happening in front of him.

"HA! HA! HA! WRAH!" Jaune's wide and unsteady swings bounced against the larger teen's unmoving weapon but the blond persisted. He raised his sword up to bring it down, "HAAA-"

Cardin just turned and let the sword swing down beside him, leaving Jaune completely open for an elbow jab to the nose. The JNPR leader stumbled back and Cardin widely swung his mace around towards his chest. On instinct, Jaune raised up his shield and blocked the huge weapon before it could directly hit him. But the force of the attack was so powerful that Jaune was lifted off his feet again and sent flying.

"UWAHHH-OOF!"

Oh thank you beautiful and surprisingly durable shield! You had saved his lanky behind yet another time in the long list of saves!

With his solar plexus intact but unsurprisingly heavy, Jaune groggily lifted himself up to his feet. He took a few deep, haggard breaths before looking up to see Cardin approaching at a faster pace. He quickly raised his shield-

***Clang***

Jaune nearly felt his arm pop off when Cardin swung his mace into the side of the shield and sent it clattering across the stage. With the pressure lingering on his chest and his only defense knocked away, panic gripped the blond's mind.

He looked up and saw Cardin standing over him and reeling back for another attack. There! His wind-up was bigger than it needed to be! If he attacked now, maybe he could-

Hesitation and dread overtook his mind and he froze. He couldn't attack. Just as the mace was coming down, Jaune forced his hands up and blocked the jagged weapon before it could hit him. The force behind the attack pushed him down to his knee and he grit his teeth, strenuously holding the mace back.

Cardin's grin grew wider as he looked down at the armored blond straining to hold off his attack. He applied just a little more strength and caused Jaune to groan in effort. He chuckled and cockily asked, "You wanna surrender before you get hurt?"

"N-no thanks." Even in the unfavorable situation, Jaune tried to keep his cool and sound strong like he knew he should. He kept his grip firm and pushed back as much as he could, "I'm alright to keep going until this is over."

"Good to know." He pressed the button-

***BOOM***

"IYAA!" Jaune screamed as the explosion knocked him back with incredible force and slid across the floor with smoke rising off him. He laid on the floor with a gasp as a loud tone rang over them.

Cardin smirked, "It's over."

The lights turned on and Cardin proudly hefted his mace onto his shoulder while standing out for everyone to admire. Glynda walked over and nodded, "That was a nice showing, Mr. Winchester. A bit too rough just for a sparring match, but nonetheless good work." Cardin seemed to revel in the recognition before she turned to the other member of the fight, "Mr. Arc..."

The blond sighed and sat up to better face the older woman as she lowered her riding crop to her side, "I understand the bravado and confidence to face your opponents, but if they can overwhelm and disarm you like that, I would suggest you approach the matter differently." She waved her crop over and his shield floated back into his hands, "And once again, please be aware of your Scroll and its Aura display feature. That will show where your Aura is gauged at, and whether you should risk attacking or stay defensive."

He wanted to argue that in a moment like that when he was so focused on fighting, he wouldn't think about looking for his Scroll and checking his Aura. But he was currently on his ass and had lungs filled with soot, so she was probably right, "Yes ma'am."

The Huntress looked up to all her students, "Everyone, remember that soon, the first preparations for the Vytal Festival will be underway, and not long after that will the first students be arriving here as well. So prepare for a much more crowded seating situation, and to show the others students just how much you've learned here at Beacon." There were some whoops and cheers of agreement, "That's enough for today. You're dismissed."

The students started filing out and Jaune hefted himself back to his feet with the little shred of Aura he still had left. He shifted his shield back into a sheathe and holstered his weapon before catching a look at Cardin. The taller boy sent him a dirty scowl before making his way back to the lockers. The JNPR leader sighed and made his way back too.

Wins: 0 across the board.

Losses: more than he could count.

So...how much had he learned since he came to Beacon? Because it felt like nothing had changed.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"And there we were...having traveled a great distance without any food or water. Our stomachs churned. Our knees buckled, weak from exhaustion. We and many others just like us had finally left the vessel we had been traveling on for many days and nights. We walked and found ourselves at the gates of the largest, mightiest castle there ever was. We paused, the full weight of this new place bearing down on us for the first time. We prepared to march forward but we were blocked by a great animal with snarling teeth! He growled, and threatened to hurt us with his claws and fangs! But I disarmed the mighty beast by patting his head and trying to find his ears, and soon we became great friends!"

"Wait wait wait. Hold up." Kiba interrupted the story before it could go any further and titled his head, "Is this a story about how you and Ren met me on the first day? Because it sounds oddly-"

"Shhh!" Nora cut him off and glared at him in annoyance, "Hey, do I interrupt you when you're telling your awesome dream stories?!"

Kiba blinked with confusion, "Um...no?"

"Then zip it!" She sat back down, "Anyway, I tamed the mighty beast and continued down the path. I then found a great basin of water, where I drank of the water and-"

"You harassed me, and then you ran off to run around and play in the fountain." Kiba pointed out, "Yeah this is all everything that happened on the first day we came here."

Nora's mouth slammed shut and her nose crinkled in anger. She plopped down in her seat, crossing her arms and pouting at Kiba, "You ruined it. I hope you're happy."

"Gahhh!" There was a loud groan of disappointment as Yang deflated and glared at the tonfa-user, "Way to go, Kiba! There goes my dinner and a show."

An amused smile came over Naruto's face as he heard his partner grunt and argue indignantly with Yang and Nora. He chuckled and enjoyed the playful bickering as he looked around at the others at the table. Most of them were just watching the argument start to gain steam. Some of them were locking themselves out of it before it got any worse. But he kept looking until he landed on one miserable person in particular.

Jaune was just looking down at his food and poking at it with his utensils. The dopey other blond had never looked this sad and pensive before as even his appetite was ruined by his thoughts.

And apparently Naruto wasn't the only one who had noticed. Pyrrha was immediately aware of her partner's dejected demeanor from the moment they had sat down for lunch. As was Ruby, because the silver-eyed girl looked very aware and worried of the conflict their friend was going through. The whiskered blond looked back over at Jaune, unaware of their worry for him before he spoke up, "You okay man?"

The Arc boy kept fiddling with his food before he realized that no one had answered Naruto's question. He looked up and say that several of their friends were looking towards him, waiting for an answer. He immediately sat up and stuttered when he realized they were addressing him, "Wait what did you say?"

"I asked if you were okay?"

"Oh." He immediately smiled and nodded his head, "Oh yeah, I'm fine." None of their expressions had changed, most likely not believing his claim in the slightest. He continued on, "Guys, I'm fine. Really. I'm just not all that hungry right now. No appetite is all."

"Jaune?" Ruby asked, her little voice carrying a tinge of worry and doubt at his false reassurance, "There's something bothering you, isn't there?"

He shook his head and a scoff came out a little too quickly to deny the subject, "Bothering me? W-what would be bothering me? I'm just not that hungry-"

"It's Cardin, isn't it?"

Jaune paused and looked towards Pyrrha to see her sad, concerned look for his safety. The red-haired champion gently grabbed his shoulder as the others put their full attention on the subject at hand, "Jaune, you've been very distracted recently. And I think it's because of Cardin tormenting you."

She wasn't wrong. She wasn't totally right either but she wasn't wrong.

"Torment?" He looked around at the others and saw they all had looks that conveyed they agreed with her opinion. He seemed to swallow some worry in his throat before he smiled, "Okay, I get the worry, but tormenting might be a bit much, don't you think? I mean yeah Cardin's a bit rough-"

"And arrogant."

"And inconsiderate."

"And a jerk."

"Asshole."

"A bully."

"Asshole."

"Degenerate."

"Did we mention asshole?"

"Okay so there are a few strong opinions on the guy." That was an understatement, "And I admit that he's kind of a jerk too." Some of them gave him skeptical looks at his censored description of his fellow first-year but he ignored them, "But it was a match in sparring class. Violence and getting knocked around like that is sorta par for the course."

Tenten asked, "And what about when he knocks you around outside of class too?"

"..." His expression faltered a little before he stifled any groan or saddened sigh that would have slipped out unconsciously. He mustered a smile and just shrugged to unconvincingly assure his friends, "Guys, I'm fine. Really. It's not that bad."

Naruto shook his head, "Jaune, if you want..." The others waited for him to finish but the blond's eyes had furrowed and focused into a glare at something behind Jaune's back. The others followed his gaze and landed on what he was glaring at.

Cardin and his cronies were seated a few tables across from them, cackling like annoying animals and pointing mockingly at their target. Cardin himself was laughing derisively as he roughly handled and pulled on the long brown bunny ear in his hand, "Ow!"

"See, I told you she could feel with these thing!" Cardin chuckled and sent another wave of laughter through his teammates as he pulled on Velvet's ear a little more and elicited a yelp of pain from the Faunus, "You guys think she can hear things all over the campus with these babies?"

Velvet winced and tried to ignore the pain of having her ears manhandled like this. She opened one eye and mumbled painfully, "Please stop."

"Yeah yeah, don't worry." Cardin droned out with no actual meaning or weight behind his words before he smirked, "Hey, what kind of dirty secrets have you heard around the school with these big ol' ears of yours?"

The other first-years stared at the scene in shock and disgust before Tenten frowned, "What the hell does he think he's doing?"

"Velvet's a second-year!" Ruby said before looking between the others, "Doesn't he know she's an upperclassman?"

"He doesn't care." Blake said under her voice, her eyes filled with contempt and her voice conveying complete revulsion for the act happening in front of her. Her hands tensed and squeezed the book tightly as she contained herself, "All he sees is someone he can harass and wouldn't do anything to fight back."

Yang noticed the scorn in her partner's expression and the tensing of her hands at the sight. She hated watching people like Cardin bully others just as much as anyone. But there was such a powerful, painful weight in seeing someone as timid and kind as Velvet get the focus of it. Even more so because she was a Faunus. If anyone had tried to do something like that to her or Ruby, she would have knocked them on their asses and kept kicking until that person ran. But for a Faunus, they either had come to expect that kind of treatment, or learn to live with it for fear that it might cause more trouble if they retaliated. It made her stomach twist. She knew that her pity would probably be misplaced...but she still felt it all the same.

Weiss...looked conflicted. She wanted desperately to seem indifferent and apathetic to the mistreatment as so many others in the room did as well. She knew why she would feel that way, and did what she could just to focus on coloring her nails again like she was moments ago. She didn't have anything against that rabbit Faunus personally, yet Weiss didn't want to go out of her way to mingle or approach her. And yet hearing her whimper and listening to that big oaf chortle like that made her shake with something she couldn't explain.

She hesitated and the heiress looked over the table to see if someone else in particular was as conflicted with this issue as her. As she expected, Sasuke looked stone-faced and focused solely on staring at his food despite not even touching it. His eyes seemed to narrow with each laugh and yelp yet he forced himself to stay seated. Weiss could understand why despite whatever it was he wanted to do, he couldn't react.

If an Uchiha forced himself into the matter, whether it was to help the Faunus or assist the tormentor, there would be a massive backlash from the rest of the student body. Rumors and accusations would fly faster than a Bullhead and people all over school would start saying unseemly things about him. Faunus would accuse him of trying to use them for some kind of good publicity. And humans would start pointing out that he should be the worst of the lot because of his heritage.

So in order to avoid that can of worms and the mountain of problems that would follow, Sasuke remained seated. Despite his reluctance to do so.

"Hey! Cardin!" Everyone in the cafeteria turned towards their table and looked to see Kiba standing up with a scowl on his face. He was seething with anger as he yelled out and pointed at the armor-clad teen, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Cardin furrowed his eyes and lifted the rabbit ear higher up to show the tattooed boy, Velvet gasping and shaking from the pain, "I'm just learning more about the wonderful advantages of being a Faunus! What are you doing?"

Kiba cracked his knuckles, "Holding myself back from making you cry for mommy!"

Cardin scoffed and stood out of his seat as the rest of CRDL looked towards him as well, "I don't get why you're so pissy. It's not like we're hurting anyone. Hell, I bet there are a few of your friends over there that would love to come and try it too!" He said, gesturing towards Weiss and Sasuke and earning a deadly glare from the white-haired girl, "We're just having some fun and good laughs! So don't-RRRH!"

Cardin grunted and moaned through his teeth when he felt the tight grip lock on his wrist and twist it. His eyes twitched in pain and he saw the rest of his team look over in surprise before he did the same. He made sure not to turn too quickly and injure himself any worse as his hold on the Faunus' ear had released. Instead, he was met with the glaring blue eyes and frown of the Uzumaki kid who stood between him and the bunny.

Naruto applied more pressure to his grip, Cardin shutting his mouth to make sure not even a pained gasp got out as the blond spoke angrily, "No one is laughing, Cardin. Just you and your little squad of jackasses."

Cardin ignored the pain and twisted his face into one of anger at the sight of the blond. Velvet felt the tension between them and stepped back while gently rubbing the sting out of her ear. The Winchester harshly pulled his wrist out of Naruto's grip before standing up tall and leering down at the shorter leader. If the obvious difference in size intimidated him, he didn't show it, "What's wrong? Something got your panties in a notch?"

Cardin noticed Velvet step back and stood up to say something but Naruto got up in his face and blocked any action he was about to make. The Winchester boy looked back down at his scowl and scoffed, "You sure you wanna tussle with me, Whiskers? Correct me if I'm wrong but the last time we fought, didn't I nearly break your skull open and make you run in fear?"

Instead of making him angrier with the goading, Naruto just smirked and chuckled lightly at Cardin. The CRDL leader looked at him oddly before Naruto shook his head, "You are wrong, Cardin. Remember? You were doing such a piss poor job of fighting I had to basically disarm you and break my own head with your weapon. Trying to give you a handicap." Naruto grinned mockingly, "And you still lost~."

Cardin snarled and felt his eye twitch before taking a breath and composing himself. He wasn't gonna let this brat get under his skin. Plus his whole team was right behind him so if anything started, they had his back. Getting his confidence back, Cardin just gave a lop-sided grin and returned, "Well you can try whatever you want, Uzumaki. I can take the hits unlike you. You might wanna make sure you don't run off crying if I give you a boo-boo."

"You can go ahead and try if you want. Bet money you won't land a hit." Naruto egged him on with his own cocky grin, "You're just gonna have to go around with your goons, annoying other people and trying to act like a big man again you bitch."

Cardin snapped and grabbed the collar of Naruto's orange vest before pulling him up with a glare, "What did you say to me you little bastard?!"

As if on cue, Naruto's friends jumped up to their feet and prepared for the confrontation that would start with the first thrown fist. The members of CRDL stood as well, looking a bit frightful at the idea of fighting outnumbered but supporting their leader. Cardin scowled and gripped Naruto's collar tighter as the blond showed his teeth and clenched his fists tightly.

"Excuse me gentlemen."

They looked over to see the stout stature of Professor Port standing behind Cardin with his eyes closed and mouth hidden by his mustache. The rather diminutive Huntsman looked between the two quarreling young men and spoke with much energy in his voice, "I couldn't help but notice this little dispute you were about to initiate and decided to pop over and ask what was the matter?"

Cardin narrowed his eyes and looked towards Naruto for a moment before faking a smile to the teacher, "Nothing, Professor Port. Me and my good buddy Naruto were just having a friendly little argument. You know how us boys do sometimes."

"Ohoho, indeed!" The Grimm Studies instructor bellowed with a mighty slap of his gut and nodded, "I remember in my youth when I used to horse around with my compatriots in good fun! A rip-roaring good time!" He laughed a little more before his eyes turned serious and all the jovial ease left his voice, "Unfortunately, I am a teacher and I will not entertain such behavior. Now, Mr. Winchester, why don't you release your hold on Mr. Uzumaki's collar?"

Cardin's scowl deepened as his effort to pass this off as a little fun jostling totally failed under the Huntsman's gaze. He looked down at the blond in his grasp before tossing him back, getting some satisfaction from the fact Naruto obviously needed to balance himself out to avoid falling over.

Peter turned to the blond in turn, "And Mr. Uzumaki, how about you uncurl your fists and stop snarling at your fellow student?"

Naruto seemed to still be fuming and looked towards the red-clad Huntsman for a moment. Before he calmed down and his face relaxed, his arms losing their tension and releasing his fists.

"Wonderful." Peter nodded between both boys, "Now, the cafeteria is used to replenish your hungry bellies and restore some of that always necessary stamina!" He announced proudly with a jiggle of his belly, "If you are finished eating and are brimming with energy, might I suggest doing something outside of the cafeteria. Others still need to nourish themselves."

"Well said, Professor." Cardin nodded before jerking his head towards the door, "C'mon guys, we're done here." He and CRDL started making their way back to their room as the tall leader made sure to knock his shoulder roughly into Naruto's. The blond looked back with a glare as the bully smiled, "See you later, pal."

Naruto scowled, watching the team of assholes make their way out of the cafeteria. He felt a shuffling and missing presence behind him and realized Port had left as well. Naruto was bristling with anger and madness, but someone else needed his attention as he ran towards another exit in a hurry.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and NKTS sat back down after the very tense situation had ceased. There were a few collective sighs of relief that there wasn't any fight that came up of the confrontation. And just as many sighs of disappointment that there wasn't one.

"Hey! I just had a great idea!" Nora announced with a gleeful smile, "Why don't we get that guy Cardin, ask him not to bully people anymore, and pop a kneecap or two to get the message across? Who's with me?!"

...

It was scary just how tempting that idea was.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Velvet! Wait up!"

The bunny girl stopped walking down the hallway and massaging her achy ear when she heard her friend come running up behind her. She turned to face him as a relieved smile came over her to see him worry, "I'm glad you didn't decide to catch up to the other guy and pick a fight."

Naruto glared back and spat with some venom, "That guy will get his ass kicked one of these days, don't worry." His face softened back into one of concern when he looked back towards his older friend, "But that doesn't matter. What about you? Did he hurt you bad? Are you okay?"

Velvet felt happy about his genuine concern for her wellbeing, even if he didn't handle the situation with the most tact. She nodded and kept rubbing the length of her left ear to ease the pain going through it, "I'm fine." She noticed his face didn't change and she repeated, "Really, I'm fine. My ear just stings a little is all."

Naruto still looked worried about his friend's current state and let his eyes drift up to her ears. He asked, "Do you want some help taking care of them?"

"W-what?!" Velvet shrieked with a furious blush on her face as she immediately protected her ear. She realized what he said and the lack of any leer or ulterior motive in his expression. She decided to deflect from any indecent thought that might come to her mind at the idea. Her ears were very sensitive, and the idea of someone rubbing them gently to help her-

She shook her head and tried to rid the blush on her face as quickly as possible, "N-no. No, I'm okay handling them on my own. B-but thank you for the offer." She was able to mutter loud enough for him to hear but when she looked up again she saw the conflicted frown on his face. She lowered her hand and asked, "What's wrong?"

"..." Naruto stayed silent before finally asking, "Why didn't you do anything to stop him?" Velvet seemed to know that question was coming as her shoulders slumped, "I bet you're strong, Velvet! I bet you could've sent that jerk flying if you wanted to!"

Maybe she could've. But she didn't. She lowered her gaze a little, "That only would've made more problems."

That wasn't good enough!

Naruto shook his head, "What about your team? Or the teachers?! We could tell them that this is happening! They could do something about it-"

"I don't want them too."

Naruto's voiced died down when he heard the Faunus girl's soft reply to his loud statement. He blinked in shock and reeled back a little before seeing Velvet slowly look back up towards him, "What?"

"I don't want them to get involved." Velvet repeated with a shake of her head, "If Coco and the others heard about this, they would probably make a big scene and things would spiral out of control. I love them but stuff like this...I just know how it works."

The NKTS leader stayed silent as Velvet crossed her arms and rubbed her biceps for comfort, "There are always people like this, Naruto. Always people that will give us dirty looks and lingering glares and go out of their way to move around us. Always people like that guy. And even if I did something to him, reported him or even put him in his place, that would just open up another spot for someone else to come and join their side." Velvet seemed to shake a little and spoke up a little louder, "Not that we could even fight back anymore if we wanted! If we retaliate or cause any sort of trouble, people automatically think we're unstable or violent or even a part of the White Fang! If we try to defend ourselves that could easily be misconstrued as a violent act and things will just get harder! I..."

Naruto's felt his heart break a little as he heard the rabbit Faunus take a shaky breath to calm herself, her voice momentarily hitching before she shook her head. She turned back towards him and he noticed a soft redness around her eyes, "I just can't let people like him see that they're affecting me. That's the quickest way to make them stop. Let them realize what they're doing means nothing to me and they'll just give up. That's how I've been doing it for years."

...

He understood. He completely understood. He had experienced that same kind of contradictory defense and retaliation before. And he hated how he could rationalize the idea that letting people like Cardin get tired of their harassing was an effective way to make them stop.

Naruto's made a small gulp as his fist clenched in tightly. He exhaled through his nose before slowly reaching up towards his head, "Velvet-"

"I'm sorry Naruto but I have to get going." The second-year girl said before she turned around and started making her way towards her team's room, "I think I need a moment to decompress and just be around my team. They always help when I'm feeling down." She started making her way down the hall before stopping...

She turned around and gave the boy a grateful smile, "Thank you. Thank you for standing up for me like you did. I think I could count on one hand the number of people that would come to my side like that so quickly." The whiskered teen lowered his hand again before he could reach his bandana as she smiled and said before leaving, "You're a really good person, Naruto."

...

Good?

Him?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Now leading up to the Faunus Rights Revolution, or more colloquially known as the Faunus War, humans were adamant on segregating and relocating the Faunus to Menagerie, a small reservation on the edge of the map with enough space they believed to house a majority of the Faunus population. As such, a major Faunus militia was formed and retaliated against the forces of the established Kingdoms in an effort to earn their civil liberties and rights." Oobleck said without taking a breath between his words as he continued, "Now during this dispute, the White Fang had first begun to establish itself as a force for the Faunus. But not through violence, no no no no no! For those of you that were not aware of merely forgot, the White Fang was first established as a peaceful, non-violent protest group, advocating the harmony and unity of mankind, Faunus and human alike. But the White Fang, their past, and how their goals and methods shifted will be the topic of another class. Right now, we are focusing on the times of war."

The students either gave the spirited teacher their full attention, or weren't even bothering to listen to the lecture he gave about war. The excitable green-haired man dashed around the room, "Now there were many battles waged between the two forces during the course of this war, and for the longest time it appeared that the humans were going to emerge victorious, however there was one battle in particular that marked the turning point of the war and helped the Faunus claim victory. Can anyone name that battle? Yes?"

"The Battle of Fort Castle."

"Quite right Ms. Schnee, thank you." The heiress seemed proud that she had earned that praise as the history teacher continued, "Now General Lagune's loss can be attributed to inexperience and underestimation of his opponents. He did not take into account many factors about the Faunus and their natural abilities, but the one that proved most useful to the Faunus at this time was...anyone?" The spastic teacher looked around before zeroing on someone that was barely even listening, "Mr. Arc! Care to share your thoughts on what the Faunus' advantage was?"

Jaune sat straight up with a panic in his eyes at being called on. His hands interlocked and forced to squeeze each other so he didn't start fidgeting around for something. He gave a skittish laugh, "Um-could you repeat the question?"

"I asked what was the advantage was that secured the Faunus victory at Fort Castle?"

Oh. Well at least he knew the question. He had no godly idea what the answer was but he wasn't blind about the question anymore.

"Psst."

Jaune's eyes shifted over to his side and saw Naruto slowly slide a piece of paper from under his arm. Oh he wished he could convey the pure, unbridled amount of gratitude to his friend for the help. He attempted to lean over with some subtlety to view the answer-

"And please don't look at the answer Mr. Uzumaki is attempting to feed you."

Both blondes immediately shot up in their seats and avoided looking towards each other. Damn! So close! Jaune stuttered, "Uh, well, the advantage the Faunus had in that fight was...that...they..."

His eyes darted and scoured the entire room for some kind of answer. The board was covered in maps and notes but they were so far away they were basically scribbles. He noticed something in the corner of his eye and spotted Blake lifting up her notebook with something written over a whole page. He was so thankful to the aloof girl...except her cursive was too fancy and he couldn't read it! AHHHHHHH!

Pyrrha! His partner was doing something! She was pantomiming and mouthing the right answer for him! Oh thank you kind and benevolent champion partner! Now...she was rotating her hands around her eyes like she was focusing something. Binoculars? No that sounded silly. She started taking the covers around the eyes and extending them out.

"They could take their eyes out?"

The ridiculous answer, along with the terrified tone Jaune answered it in got a wave of laughs around the room. Blake sighed apathetically and Pyrrha palmed her face as Jaune blushed with embarrassment. Oobleck shook his head, "No, Mr. Arc, the Faunus did not get their advantage by taking out their eyes. Although I'm sure if they could that would have frightened Lagune's forces to retreat. Mr. Uzumaki, since you seemed so ready to help Mr. Arc why don't you give us the answer?"

"It's night vision." Naruto responded, "Lagune didn't remember that Faunus see in the dark. So when he attacked them at night he ran in blind while the Faunus could see clear as day. So they took out a majority of his guys and captured him."

The green-haired teacher nodded before a familiar voice spoke up behind Naruto and Jaune, "Y'know, I heard stories that the Faunus riled up and led Grimm through the areas the humans marched through, so that they would get too tired from killing Grimm to fight them properly. Seems like a pretty cowardly tactic those guys used back in the day, am I right?"

Several people in the classroom rolled their eyes at the comment made by the insensitive bully. Pyrrha looked over at the lounging orange-haired boy and spoke, "You know, you shouldn't put so much belief in every story or myth you hear getting passed around."

Blake nodded, "People may think you're more naive and foolish than they already do."

The Winchester teen sat up in his seat and sent a glare towards the girls with contempt, "What are you saying?"

"She's saying you should keep your mouth shut so people don't realize you're an idiot." Naruto said with a patronizing smirk back towards Cardin, "You should think about taking that advice."

Cardin grit his teeth and stood out of his chair-

"Mr. Winchester, please sit down. Mr. Uzumaki, I would appreciate if you didn't instigate fights with your fellow classmates while we're learning. There is a time and place for that and it's called sparring class." The bell rung over the room and the coffee-guzzling teacher nodded, "Well I suppose that's the end of class! You are all dismissed! Mr Winchester, Mr. Uzumaki, and Mr. Arc!" The three boys froze in their spots before they could leave as Oobleck lowered his glasses to show his vibrant blue eyes, "I would like to speak with you three for a moment."

"Shit."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Pyrrha looked down at the floor and dug her feet into the tile as she waited for her leader outside the classroom. She had been waiting for Professor Oobleck to finish admonishing the three young men for at least ten minutes now. She worried for both Jaune and Naruto.

Not so much for Cardin.

"You are dismissed!"

A green blur dashed out of the room and nearly knocked the warrior over from the sheer air pressure in his wake. She waved her arms around wildly to balance herself before getting a good foundation and sparing herself the embarrassment of falling on her butt.

Cardin was the first to walk out of the room, a frustrated scowl on his face as he stepped out with anger in his gait. Pyrrha met the taller boy's eyes and they shared a hateful stare before he continued on.

Naruto walked out with his arms behind his head as Jaune followed with a more shamed motion in his walk, "Well that was a whole lotta fun."

"How was it?" She asked both leaders.

"Cardin got told off for aggressive behavior and I got told off for misbehavior." Naruto said with a frown and a sigh, "And now we have to write another essay about some huge chunk of the book. Like we didn't just finish writing our midterm the other day."

Pyrrha looked over at Jaune to see his sad expression and silence on the matter. The scraggly blond noticed her gaze and he gave a solemn shake, "Oobleck thinks I've been too absentminded and not taking the class seriously. That my work has been...stagnant?"

Naruto nodded at Jaune's inquiry before scoffing, "Don't worry about it man. He's a teacher. That's just the kind of stuff they say." The bandana-wearing teen patted his friend's shoulder in a show of comfort, "It'll be alright."

Jaune didn't looked convinced before he forced a small smile and nodded at Naruto's words.

The whiskered blond smiled in return before stretching out, "Well, I've got an essay to work on and an entire team to convince that I didn't do anything wrong." He walked off down the hallway and waved the pair goodbye.

They waved him off in return before Jaune looked around the empty hallway, "Where's Ren and Nora?"

"I sent them off ahead to go get dinner. And we'll catch up. But first..." Pyrrha grabbed Jaune's hand with both of hers. The blond teen looked at her in surprise before she smiled brightly and motioned behind her, "I wanna show you something."

Pyrrha quickly pulled him along and Jaune followed as he was dragged through hallways and corridors until they reached a flight of stairs. He followed her lead all the way to the top until they emerged from the door and into the night air, "Pyrrha, what's this about? What are we...woah."

Jaune and Pyrrha walked over the roof of the dormitory and stood close to its edge to see out into the surrounding area. The multiple buildings and housing facilities that stood around them. The mix of road and greenery below. And a magnificent view of the tower with a clear sight of the stars and even the moon. Pyrrha happily looked around and spoke, "I thought you would like to come here. Help you with your worries."

...

Jaune blankly looked down over the edge of the roof in worry before stepping back with a chill. He chuckled nervously, "Um, Pyrrha, just to be sure you're not advising me to take a long walk...off the short roof right?"

Pyrrha looked at the edge and then her friend, furiously looking between them both before shaking her head and yelling, "Absolutely not!" She stepped back and pulled Jaune along as well before she composed herself and looked at him accusingly, "That was in horrible taste."

He just shrugged and gave a little snort of amusement. Even if he was feeling down, talking with Pyrrha cheered him up.

"Jaune..." Pyrrha's voice took on an edge of warmth and concern as she stepped up to get his attention, "I know you've been having a rough time lately." Jaune lowered his head and his eyes lidded, "Cardin certainly hasn't been making these days easy and you're worried about classes. But I want to help."

Jaune blinked a few times for clarity before looking back up at her, "Help?"

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded, "I know you're not the strongest of fighters and you have a hard time during the sparring classes. But you keep fighting and trying which shows so much spirit and fortitude! And I admire that in you. So..." Pyrrha smiled brightly and motioned to their surroundings, "I'd like to train with you! We can meet together after classes are over and spar up here where no one can bother us. I promise after a few lessons you'll notice a stark difference in your abilities. We'd have to work together a lot, but I know you can do it. What do you say?"

Jaune was speechless, staring at the smiling and hopeful face of his partner after she finished stating her offer. The leader of JNPR felt a strange sensation run through his body as he comprehended what she said. A mix of sadness and defeat and reluctance and...

"I really am that bad, aren't I?"

Pyrrha's smile quickly fell as she realized he had taken her words in the wrong light. She reeled back and shook her head, "N-no, Jaune that's not what I meant."

He gave a sad smile and shake of his head, "But it's true, right?" He turned away from her and his shoulders slumped before he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I suck at this."

"Jaune, don't say that." Pyrrha denied completely, "We have hard times. Points where we feel at our lowest and don't think we can do anything right. But I promise that you'll get over it. You're our leader. You're here at Beacon with us. That speaks volumes of what you are capable of doing."

"It really doesn't."

Pyrrha heard him mumble, "What do you mean?"

"I mean...I don't deserve to be here."

Pyrrha always knew Jaune was the kind of guy that talked down about himself and focused on his faults, but she couldn't let that statement stand. She shook her head, "Jaune, don't say something like that. That's not true-"

"Yes. Yes it is." He said sternly, "And I don't just mean because I'm not good enough."

"..." Pyrrha was bewildered by what he said, "What are you talking about?"

"I mean I don't deserve to be here!" He said, his voice becoming louder and startling the redhead with the anger in his eyes, "I mean no one invited me to come here!" The image of a red-hooded girl came to mind, "No one thought I deserved to come here!" A whiskered boy with a bandana passed through, "I didn't prove myself or gain the strength to even apply here!" The images of all the people he called comrades and friends settled into his head as he looked up at his shocked partner.

"I never should have come to Beacon in the first place. I'm here...because I cheated."

...

"W-what?"

"I cheated. I faked my papers, I got through the test, and was accepted here on a lie." Jaune said with more than a tinge of self-loathing in his voice, "I don't deserve to be here like any of you."

The red-haired warrior just looked at him in complete confusion as she tried to process what he said. She struggled and only found a single word, "Why?"

"This is what I wanted. This is all I ever wanted." Jaune pointed out towards the school, "My family has been Huntsmen and heroes for years. They helped people and saved people and did what they could everyday. And that's all I wanted to. I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to help." He mashed his teeth and shook with anger, "But I couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough. Skilled enough. I couldn't get into a training school in time and coming to a place like this...there was no other way. So I faked my way in...and thought I could make it up from there."

He grit his teeth again and looked back at her with a mix of rage and despair in his eyes, "But I haven't! I haven't been able to do anything! I'm not the great fighter Ruby is! I'm not the hero Naruto can become! I'm not the awesome student like Weiss or Ren! I'm not powerful like Nora! And..." He looked into her green eyes, "I'm not like you."

Her voice trembled as she noticed tears nearly fill his eyes, "But if I don't do anything I'll just stay like I am! The lovable goofball that can't even pull out his sword and fight while the rest of his friends risk their lives! I don't want to become the burden! The load you guys have to carry and protect! I want to become a hero! Someone you guys can rely on! Someone who can lead you and protect you when he needs to! And if I can't do that myself...then I'm worthless."

Pyrrha looked at him in horror before her eyes softened with sadness. Her emerald orbs threatened to spill tears as she reached out, "Jaune-"

He shied away from her reach and turned around so he wouldn't face her. His shoulders shook and his fists clenched into his palm but he didn't dare face her.

The redhead lowered her hand before reluctantly nodding, "Okay. I understand. I'm...I'm sorry."

No. Please don't apologize. This wasn't your fault. It was his.

He wanted to say that, and the words danced on the tip of his tongue before he heard the door open and close behind him. He turned around and saw that he was alone on the roof. He lowered his head and started grinding his teeth in anger-

"Ho. Lee. Shit. That was some heavy stuff."

His head jerked up and he looked around desperately before finally spotting where the voice had come from. Cardin was peeking over the edge of the roof with a surprised, almost gleeful smile on his face, "C-Cardin?"

"Yep." The taller boy hefted himself onto the roof with a giddy tone in his voice, "I opened up the window to my room for some fresh air and I heard the whole thing. Jauney, Jauney, Jauney..." He repeated with a grin, "You're a bad, bad boy."

Fear and horror gripped Jaune's mind as he panicked. He felt his throat dry up and his tongue notch, "C-Cardin, w-what you heard-I-I can..." He struggled before shaking his head, "Please. Please you can't tell anyone."

"Oh don't worry. I won't."

Jaune blinked and looked up at him, "You won't?"

"Nah. See I'm just in too good a mood to think about that right now. Maybe later I'll consider telling someone about it?" Jaune's face paled before Cardin wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders, "But I bet you and I can work something out, Jauney."

"W-we can?"

"Yeah. See, if you help me with some stuff, then I promise I'll keep your dirty little secret all to myself." Cardin jostled the shorter boy in his grasp, "What do you say?"

Jaune gulped, looking at the large arm that had his shoulders before looking up at Cardin, "What do you mean?"

"Like that paper Professor Oobleck gave us today." Cardin scratched his head, "See I'd like to get it done, but I just don't think I have the time. And I don't know how in the world I would do it. But if you were to help write it for me...well I'd probably consider you my best friend after that. And I'd be forced to keep your secret. At least until another paper or project is due."

"O-oh." Jaune hesitated before looking up at the confident smirk on Cardin's face. He wanted to deny...but what choice did he have? Literally. What other choice did he have? He nodded, "I'll get right on it."

"Perfect. Oh, and make sure to make the papers different so he won't notice any similarities in what you write. Plagiarism can be such a bitch sometimes." The Winchester teen ruffled Jaune's hair before releasing his hold on him and walking over to the ledge, "Don't worry Jaune! I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"

Jaune stood by silently and watched Cardin leap down and back into his room. He was the only one left on the rooftop for certain this time as he looked down at his own feet. He furrowed his eyes and wanted to do nothing but curse worse than those really mature movies he saw on TV. He wanted to fight and argue. But couldn't...

This was a hole he had dug himself into. And he needed to fix it himself. He just had to try...and hope that Cardin would keep his word.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Well. Canon material. Been a long time since we were here. Not surprisingly it was easier writing this than the chapters I make myself. Those usually take 5 to 6 days if I'm focused and this took 2 to 3. Hopefully that means fast to get through. Maybe even finish the arc before the end of the month?**_

_**But enough about that. **_

_**I was surprised by RWBY Chibi, but I think we all need it after what happened.**_

_**I...felt dead inside...after watching that finale. Not saying it wasn't amazing. Not saying it wasn't the perfect way to top the volume and prepare for the future. Just...I feel empty knowing that was real...and for some reason hoping I wake up and that was all just a dream.**_

_**I'm sure Ruby and the others feel the same way.**_

_**Which either speaks volumes about the power this show has, or the weird connection I make with them.**_

_**Oh well.**_

_**Although I'm sad we have to wait for Vol. 4, I need some time to calm down. I couldn't take anymore depression.**_

_**Which is why RvB Season 14 is a very warm welcome. **_

_**I think if I update more frequently and focus, I could maybe get through the first season by the time it next volume. Maybe. Hopefully. Made empty promises before.**_

_**Anyway, Jaune's worries just begin. And just so you know...there will be more than one hero getting influenced by these events.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	32. The Bird, The Fox, and The Hero

Hunting or Bust

Dust 27: The Bird, The Fox, and The Hero

There was supposed to be one more chapter between this one and the previous entry. But with how I was writing it, I was literally attempting to make a whole chapter out of the events up to the first two minutes of episode 13. Despite my pension for filler and bullshitting, that was just too difficult for me.

I mean I personally felt like I wrote a good conversation between Naruto and Jaune, but then I started to realize that there were issues with the characterization and dialogue I was writing. I was purposefully making Naruto dance around the topic of Jaune's bullying and Jaune trying to steer away from it. I wanted to write that part to help give some more insight in Naruto, but in the process I was butchering what I wanted to do for the character.

I've had lots of complaints thrown at me across all my stories about keeping faithful to Naruto or adapting him differently to the different settings. And despite the criticism I enjoy the idea of exploring him in different ways. But God dammit even I know that no matter what, that whiskered bastard would never just let his friend get beat up because he didn't ask for help.

So, despite what I wanted to write for that chapter, scrapped it. And in the process moved every following chapter up by one. Which is good in a way. Hopefully I can incorporate some of the scrapped chapter's ideas into this one but...

Anyway, here we go.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

***Ring*Ring*Ring*Ring*Ring*Ri-**

Pyrrha stirred as the warmth of her bed and the sun's rays was contrasted by the horrible sound of the alarm. She gently opened her eyes and located her Scroll before quickly ending the noise. She sat up, her long red hair spilling over her face while being out of its usual ponytail.

"*Yawwwww*." She stifled the yawn and rubbed her eyes before looking over the room.

Ren was already out of bed and dressed in his usual green outfit which also functioned as his pajamas. It must have been incredibly convenient to be able to sleep and fight in the same clothes. Pyrrha doubted she could get comfortable and rest while wearing her armor and corset. Inversely, she hesitated to think about fighting Grimm and evil off wearing just a black tank top and shorts.

She noticed the pink-eyed boy was taking a moment to wake up his partner to no avail. Nora slumbered away, a mix of blissful moaning and snoring while she wrapped herself up in her comforter. She was actually quite envious of the excitable girl's ability to sleep through the noise and spoke up to Ren, "Why don't you go ahead and get prepared first? I think we both know that waking Nora up this early is a fruitless effort."

Ren hung his head in reluctant agreement, "I suppose you're right." He started making his way to the shower and motioned beside her, "You might want to try waking him up too."

The redhead turned and looked over at the exhausted form of their leader as he nestled into his bed. He was knackered with bags under his eyes, probably not opposed to the idea of melding with his pillow at the moment. He didn't even have the time to change out of his armor and clothes before he just passed out on his bed

She could only stare at him in silence with a tinge of regret in her eyes. Jaune had been busy and preoccupied lately hanging around with...Cardin. Even thinking about that arrogant, vulgar man made her skin crawl and seeing Jaune beside him so much just made it worse.

But why he was hanging around with CRDL so much was something they hadn't figured out. He barely said hello to any of their friends and came back to the room so late they were already asleep. But they could tell that even though Jaune conversed and stuck around with them that he looked miserable. She wanted to confront him and ask him what was wrong...

But she couldn't find the nerve to do it. She couldn't find it in herself to say anything after she had departed the rooftop. After he had confessed his deceit to her.

She didn't know what to do. Her head was filled with confusion and worry and dread. She wished it wasn't true. She wished it was just a bad joke and this was all just buildup. She wished she didn't just turn away and walk when she should have said something! She wished she didn't just leave him up there to think he was worthless, even if he got into Beacon by lying!

She wanted...to know what to say to him.

Pyrrha closed her eyes sadly before sighing and shaking her head. She reached over and nudged him firmly, "Jaune. Jaune wake up. It's time to get up now."

Jaune's eyes popped open and he awoke in a start before realizing he was back in their room. He took a moment to rub his eyes and sit up in his bed, flinching and rubbing his sore chest due to sleeping in his armor. He winced a little before looking up to see Pyrrha silently watch him with a strange expression.

"Hey."

"Hello."

The first real words they had exchanged over the last few days.

"You didn't change out of your clothes?"

"Uh-no. I was-um-busy doing something last night. I guess I sorta just fell asleep when I got back."

"Was Cardin involved?"

She was met with silence, which might as well have been a yes.

She looked down sadly before pointing out, "You should take off your armor."

"Huh?"

"Your armor. You slept in it. You should take it off before it irritates and chafes your skin. That happened to me quite a lot when I was younger and dozed off wearing armor."

"Oh. Right." He quickly fiddled with the straps securing his armor plates before muttering barely loud enough for her to hear, "Thank you."

There. It wasn't impossible for them to talk. It was just...hard.

"You remember that Professor Goodwitch is escorting us to Forever Fall today, right?"

"Yeah I know."

"Good."

...

Do it.

"Jaune?" The tired blond looked up from removing his shoulder plate as she pressed, "Can we-"

***Ding*Ding***

She shut her mouth when the notification rang on Jaune's Scroll and he quickly answered. His tired expression looked even worse as he read the message and gave a disgruntled sigh. He shifted out of bed and grabbed his armor, "Sorry Pyrrha, I gotta go."

"B-but-"

"Something's come up." Jaune started for the door-

"Um...can we talk later?"

Would he even be available to talk? Or would he just get called over again before she could even say a word?

She swallowed the bitter thought and nodded, convincing herself as best she could not to use Polarity on his armor to force him to stay.

Jaune stopped and lowered his hand before turning to her, "Yeah. I wanted to talk with you too. I'll see you later, okay?" He gave a small nod in return, neutral in his expression before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Pyrrha was left sitting in her bed as Nora mumbled in her sleep and Ren's shower filled in the silence. She silently cursed and curled her hands into fists. Futile once more in her effort to help her partner and friend when they both needed it.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**Did you get the wasps?**

**Jaune: Yeah. It wasn't easy catching them from the nest you told me about. I had to hide them in my locker.**

**Good. Great job Jauney.**

**Jaune: Why do you want these things anyway?**

**Don't worry. Just make sure to bring them with us on the trip today. Got it?**

**Jaune: Yeah. I got it.**

**Good. See you then.**

Cardin finished the text with a little smirk and relaxed into his bed in wait for their trip to the forest.

"Holy crap, he really did it all!" Russel laughed as he looked over all the completed work and assignments Jaune had finished for him on Cardin's behest. He waved the papers, "Cardin, I have no idea what you got on that Arc kid, but this is awesome. All the grade and none of the work."

Cardin smirked, "Yeah. Got ourselves the perfect little busybody to help us through the hard times. Ain't it grand?"

Dove spoke up from his seat at the desk, "But seriously, Cardin, what do you have on him? It must be big if you can make him jump through all these hoops without argument."

Cardin wagged his finger, "Nah ah ah. Can't go spilling all the secrets. But don't worry, I'll tell you guys soon."

Sky nodded, "Okay, well how long do you plan on keeping him on your heels like this? The rest of the year? Oh, or do you think you can milk it and make him an errand boy until graduation?"

"Hmmm~?" Cardin hummed at the idea before nodding, "I think...I'm gonna let him off the hook after the field trip today."

The teammates looked at him in surprise, "Why?"

"Well as much as a blast it's been having someone on the bell for us, and even though he might not finish that project I gave him in time, I think today is the perfect time to call it quits." Cardin had a smug grin, "I make Jauney boy the bad guy in front of his little group of friends, and then I tell everyone his little secret. I can just see it now."

Did he really think he was gonna make it at a school like this by cheating his way through? He wasn't worthy. He wasn't strong.

This school was about taking the strongest, best candidates from around the world and molding them into heroes. People that got all the adoration and praise from the people.

People like him. Like his team.

Not this worthless cheat. And not any of his stupid little friends either.

Not the 'prodigy' little girl. Not the generational serial killer. Not the heiress that bought her way in. Not that whiskered prick who couldn't stand getting hit. Not the snarky moody girl who only read. And not that so called 'strongest of the generation'.

After today...he was gonna knock them all done a peg.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Coming to Beacon from different Kingdoms and places all over Remnant, some of the students hadn't seen everything Vale had to offer. The amazing amount of snow that falls during the winter season. The bustling city streets during the festival. Or even the wonderful night life with sightings of a crazy blonde monster wrecking havoc from time to time.

But one of the most captivating sights to behold in the Kingdom of Vale is the forest of Forever Falls. While the landmark was well known around the world and there were pictures and documentaries about it, none of them quite captured the beauty of seeing it firsthand.

The miles of nature that stretched out in every direction on the cusp of the city's limits. The trees varied in size but each had deep red leaves blooming from their branches that made it seem like perpetual autumn.

"Oooooohhhhhh~." Several students trailed behind the group as they looked around in wonder. Tenten slipped the empty jar under her armpit and plucked a fallen leaf off the ground, "Oh man this place is beautiful."

Kiba walked past her and looked around with a fond smile, "We should go on one of the picnics the city sets up every few months. Eating out here with family is the best."

Ruby popped up on her partner's side and shocked her out of her daydreaming, "Weiss! Hey Weiss! This place is pretty cool~, right? Bet you don't have anything like this over in Atlas~."

Weiss harrumphed and turned her nose up, "Don't get so excited you dunce. It's just a forest. There's nothing exceptional or special about it."

"But it's really pretty, right?"

Weiss looked aside and nodded in reluctant agreement. Even the cold heiress had to admit that the blood red forest was incredible to look at.

"Yes students, Forever Fall is still quite a sight to see even after multiple visits. But do not get too comfortable." Glynda warned as she guided the students through the clearer paths between the numerous red trees, "Forever Fall is home to many different kinds of animals, dangerous and docile. And there are more than enough Grimm roaming these acres to make any Huntsman or Huntress pale in fright. Also there are very few distinct locations in the forest as a whole, which means if you wander off you'll have to keep walking until you find civilization. And with Grimm infested space, I wouldn't take those odds."

Geez, thanks for the uplifting words, Professor.

"But that is also why we have brought our weapons with us on this outing Professor Peach tasked us with. Now unless it is entirely necessary I suggest you keep your weapons on standby at all ti-Miss Valkyrie put it away!"

Nora grumbled sadly as she mecha-shifted her hammer back into its basic stage, "No fun."

The blonde Huntress relaxed her brow and fixed her glasses again, "Now, you are each tasked with filling up your jar with the sap from these trees. If you so wish and you brought spare jars for the purpose, you can take some sap home with you for your own desire. I can attest to its unique and delicious taste." There was an excited mumbling over her students, "We'll be out here until 4 so have fun and stay safe."

The students separated and bunched off into groups to collect their sap. Tenten was the first to kneel by a tree and examine it thoroughly. She created a knife and dug it through the bark, "So is there like a special technique to this or-woah! O-okay it's going. Really fast too."

Sasuke came over to her side and quickly took the jar she was filling over before switching it with his empty one. He looked over to see Weiss staring intently between her jar and tree like she was internally debating. He walked over to her side without her attention, "Are you okay?"

She flinched in surprise before quickly nodding her head, "I'm fine! Of course I'm fine! W-why would you think I'm not fine!"

"Because you looked like you were going to spike that jar against the tree in anger." He pointed out blatantly.

Weiss nervously coughed in her hand and crossed her arms with indignation, "Y-yes well I was just wondering what the importance of us gathering this sap actually provides in way of learning to fight monsters. It's just sap from a tree. Personally I think this is just a useless exercise to waste a day and-"

"Pfft, yeah right." Yang said from her tree, "You're just saying that now because you're worried about getting stains on your outfit."

"Why wouldn't I?!" The heiress defended with a pink hue, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get grass stains out of white clothes? Let alone red grass stains! It's impossible!"

"Oh please." The blonde sent her a wry smirk, "You've never dealt with 'stains' before?"

"Why did you say it like that?" She pressed her brawler teammate for an answer, "What are you implying?"

"Nothing~."

"Yang!"

"NORA! NO! THAT'S MY SAP!"

"JUST ONE TASTE!"

"YOU ATE YOURS AND REN'S! I WANT MINE!"

"BE A FRIEND KIBA!"

"GET BACK HERE YOU CRAZY WOMAN!"

Pyrrha watched Nora run around the trees and slurp up a jar of sap as Kiba desperately chased after her. Despite the tattooed boy's best efforts he couldn't quite catch up with a sugar charged Nora. She smiled and watched her friends gather sap with smiles on their faces. They were all so happy and content, being able to have fun on such a nice day in such a beautiful location.

And yet her mind constantly shifted back to her partner that was nowhere in sight. In fact, none of CRDL was anywhere to be seen either.

"Pyrrha, you alright?"

"Huh?" She stood up straighter and saw Naruto had snuck up to her side as she had just been standing by a tree in silence. She quickly smiled and nodded, "Of course. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because Tenten's been worried about you these last few days. Says you've been looking really distant and sad lately."

O-oh. And here she thought she was hiding it...relatively well. Her shoulders sagged, "Well, please tell Tenten I'm sorry for making her worry. It's just...recently, Jaune and I had a bit of an argument. And we haven't quite resolved it yet."

Naruto nodded before looking around, "I was wondering why Jaune hasn't been around lately. Your fight...is that the reason he's been hanging out with Cardin and the asshole patrol?"

"It might be, yes."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I thought something was wrong with that. I couldn't imagine him becoming buddy-buddy with Cardin so quickly. And I definitely can't imagine Cardin not picking on Jaune anymore like that."

"He still does." Pyrhha muttered as her grip on the jar tightened just before she started cracking the glass.

He looked between her conflicted frown and shaking hands before he felt a tinge of guilty not noticing this earlier.

"Whatcha talkin' about?"

The blond and redhead both gave a little start and looked over to see Ruby looking between them curiously. Naruto spared the champion the need to tread back into uncomfortable territory and answered the hooded girl, "Pyrrha's just a little worried. She and Jaune had an argument and they haven't talked about it yet."

Ruby perked up, "Oh! Is that why he was so gloomy last night?"

They turned to her in surprise and she quickly stuttered, "Um-I met Jaune in the hallway last night when I heard some weird noises. I came out and he looked all sad and kept talking about being a failure or something. He said he shouldn't be on a team with you guys."

Pyrrha felt a cold chill grip her heart and a panic fill her mind. She hesitated, "What...did you say anything?"

"I said that was dumb." Ruby honestly answered with a smile and nod, "I said that he was the only leader your team had so you needed him. And he wasn't allowed to think of himself as a failure anymore no matter what." She fiddled with the jar in her hand and looked up at her older friends shyly for confirmation, "I thought I convinced him pretty good and went back to sleep. So-um-did it work or did I say something wrong?"

Pyrrha wanted to slap herself. She had been fretting and arguing with herself all this time about the right thing to do or say without even doing or saying anything. She was so worried about making things worse while they did because she didn't make an effort to fix it. But Ruby, with just some simple and kinds words, has already done more to fix it than she had.

He wanted to talk with her. And that was probably in no small part because of the red-clad girl's help.

Pyrrha turned to the shorter girl with a grateful smile, "Thank you Ruby. I owe you a great thanks for helping him where I couldn't."

Ruby blushed and giggled, "Oh s-shut up its totally cool. I didn't do much."

"You gonna be okay?"

She regarded the whiskered boy and nodded with a much lighter expression and smile, "Yes. I think I'll be able to handle this after all. Thank you for your concern, Naruto." She took a relieving breath in, "Well, there's no point in us just standing around doing nothing. We have jars to fill up!"

The champion walked off with a much happier expression and joy in her step. Naruto and Ruby watched her walk off before the older teen nudged her side with a smirk, "When did you get so mature and wise, huh?"

She puffed out her chest in pride and hummed, "Yep. You're looking at Ruby Rose, super cool and mature leader of RWBY. Jealous~?"

"Sure, but don't get too ahead of yourself. Keep going like that and you might turn into Weiss."

She yelped and shook her head, "No no no, I don't wanna become Weiss! I like fun!"

"HEY!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Jaune felt his throat start to tighten and dry up as he filled the last jar with sap. He let out some hoarse coughs and rubbed his throat carefully before closing the lid. He gathered them all up and started dragging his feet back to Cardin and his friends.

So either he was allergic to this sap stuff or he hadn't drunk anything recently. It could be either. He was so freakin' tired he couldn't think straight. He wanted to take a nap. He wanted to stop running for Cardin whenever he got a text or call. He just wanted to be with his friends and team again.

Would they still want him after he's left them so much?

Would Pyrrha still want to be his partner? Would she even be able to look at him?

No! Stop it! Stop thinking like that! Ruby already told him that they don't need him doubting himself anymore! They needed their leader, even if it was him! He was going to talk to Pyrrha today...and they would figure out what to do then.

But what happened next-Pyrrha's acceptance or refusal-would only work if he could figure out how to cut his ties with Cardin.

There had to be something he could do. He could try appealing to Cardin's good nature and warm-

Nope.

What about offering a favor? Oh wait, offering favors was a moot point if he was already doing everything for him under threat of expulsion.

Violence? No. Putting aside the fact that Cardin would probably whoop his butt if he tried, he didn't feel right solving this through hurting people. Even if it was Cardin.

Jaune's thoughts came to a halt as he walked past some trees and arrived to see CRDL lounging on the ground in peace. Cardin had a large hand on top of the box of rapier wasps and jostled them around out of boredom. They obviously didn't like that because he could hear them buzzing from here.

He walked into their sight and the massive teen waved him over. He and his lackeys pulled up to their feet and he grabbed the box of wasps, "Hey there Jauney boy, you got back fast! Excellent work!" Jaune just narrowed his brow in response as he held out the box of jars for them.

Cardin clicked his teeth and pushed the box back, "Ah-not so fast Jaune. Now I bet you're wondering why we asked you to fill some extra jars, right?"

Jaune looked at the several extra containers he filled before shrugging, "Uh-no. I just thought you wanted some syrup for yourself or something. This stuff smells really sweet-"

"Good guess but nope." Cardin interrupted as he started leading his group and Jaune away, "Follow me and I'll show you what we're gonna do with all this sap you picked for us."

Jaune followed at a more reserved pace as they came out into an open area leading into a small cliff. Cardin looked around and nodded with satisfaction before placing the box of bugs down safely, "Yeah, this place is perfect."

The rest of CRDL stood around them silently as Jaune looked around in worry. Cardin walked over and took the box before lying it down and plucking a jar out for himself. He wrapped an arm around Jaune's shoulders, "Jaune, do you wanna quit hanging out with us?"

The Arc boy's eyes widened and he looked up at the larger teen, "W-what?"

"I asked if you wanna stop doing what you're doing? It's okay to tell the truth even though I know how hard that is for you." Jaune looked worried about the result his answer would make these guys do. Before he could answer Cardin patted his back reassuringly, "It's all right buddy. I think today, I'm gonna let you off the hook for good."

"Really?!" He wished he didn't sound so desperate replying to his offer.

"Yep. Clean slate. All's good and fair after this. One last job and all is well." Cardin smiled as he handed the jar of sap to Jaune, "You ready?"

"Y-yeah, sure." A free pass after doing one last thing? How could he pass that up!

"Take this jar..." Cardin's finger trailed over the cliff side, "And throw it there."

Take the jar and throw it...

Where his friends and teammates were gathered together to collect their samples and talk.

...

"What...what is-"

"Didn't you hear me Jauney?" Cardin repeated with a firm edge as he shook his shoulders, "I said throw that jar and everything will be square." He hid a smirk from Jaune's sight, "Don't worry. It's not like it's gonna do anything. They've got their Aura. All it'll do is freak them out a bit and they'll be fine."

They'll go into a panic. All those 'strong' and 'powerful' figures that had made an image to the school would be reduced to blubbering, crying messes while they ran from the wasps. Arc would be blamed, Cardin would catch him in the act, and he can turn him in and reveal his secret.

Cardin and his team would be renowned for their action. And the liars will get everything they deserve.

"Just throw the jar Jaune...and everything will be alright."

Jaune looked between the jar in his hands and the friends down below. H-he couldn't do this. This was horrible! This was horrific! He'd be hurting his friends! The people he cared about! No way!

...

B-but if he didn't then everyone would know his secret. He'd lose his chance to become a Huntsman. He'd be expelled and shamed for the rest of his life. H-he couldn't go home to Mom and Dad and the others like this. He'd be a black stain even more than he already was!

The others were strong! They were so strong! There's no way wasps would hurt them like Cardin would think!

Jaune gripped the jar in his hands and looked down from the cliff...

In time to see Pyrrha look back at Ren and Nora with a smile.

...

"No."

"What?"

"I said no." Jaune repeated as he looked down at the jar before dropping it in the grass. He closed his eyes before opening them back up with a solid glare and turned towards Cardin, "I'm not doing it Cardin."

The Winchester's face twisted in anger before he whispered out in a growl, "What are you doing? Just throw the damn jar and that's it. I won't tell anyone your secret. I won't tell anyone you don't deserve to be here-"

"Tell them." Cardin reeled back at Jaune's demand as the blond took a shaky breath and stood his ground, "I don't care what you do or say anymore. I'm not doing errands for you. I'm not working for you. And I'm definitely not hurting any of my friends for you."

Jaune shook his head and said defiantly, "So whatever you want to do...just do it. It won't be as bad as following your order-GAH!"

Cardin's fist lashed out and caught Jaune in the cheek before he fell down hard. The Winchester was seething with rage as he stood over the blond that gently held his bruised face. Cardin flared his teeth and shook his head, "Oh believe me Jaune, what I'll do is much worse."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The bigger shadow reached down and pulled something up before it disappeared into the shadow of the cliff.

Naruto wasn't sure what he just saw but by the time he turned around, the cliff's top was empty.

But the foreboding sense of unease still hadn't disappeared.

Sasuke noticed his friend kneeling in the grass and glaring up at something. He followed Naruto's gaze and landed on the empty edge of the cliff. He inquired, "Did you see something?"

"Maybe. Not quite sure. But I can check." Naruto pushed up to his feet, "Kiba!" He tossed his partner his jar, "Hold on to that for me. And don't let Nora eat it!"

"Don't ask of me the impossible!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"AH!"

Jaune yelped as he fell to the ground in a heap and gave a ragged cough in pain. He struggled onto his hands and knees and cradled his ribs while Dove, Sky, and Russel stood over him. Jaune tried to look up at them before Cardin's foot came swinging in and caught his in the side. He gasped and fell down again as the tall leader stood over him, "Get up. C'mon Jaune, get back up like the hero you think you are."

"I'd-uh-rather stay down here if it's all the same to you. I just sorta lost my breath."

Cardin looked between his teammates and they hoisted Jaune up with a hold under each arm. The orange-haired giant took a deep breath through his nose and felt his shoulders heave in fury. He stepped forward and got the tired blond's attention, "What do you think you're doing? Do you think you're being cool doing this? Acting like a smug hero sacrificing himself to do something right? Well news flash you idiot, you didn't do anything right. You're a liar and a failure, and this is everything you deserve for cheating. So how about that? How does that make you feel?"

Jaune remained silent for a good few seconds before giving a small shrug of indifference. The getting beat up part sucked, but not having to follow Cardin's demands anymore...priceless.

Cardin felt a vein start to pulse and his arms shake from the tension in his fists.

"Uh-Cardin?" Sky looked between his leader and the haggard blond before shaking his head, "I think this guy has had enough. This ain't gonna work. We should just ditch him and give Goodwitch our jars-"

"Shut up!" Cardin barked and frightened his team with the disdain in his voice. Cardin cracks his knuckles, "This bastard wants to learn stuff so bad? Fine. I'll teach him what's it's like to get beat within an inch of consciousness-"

"Let him go."

They froze. The CRDL members looked over in shock as Cardin lowered his fists. He made a sharp inhale before slowing turning around to face the whiskered blond on the other side of the clearing. Naruto's glare was emphasized by the furrow of his bandana as he growled out through grit teeth, "I said let. Him. Go. Now!"

Sky and Dove prepared to release Jaune before Cardin sent them a death glare to stay. He turned back towards Naruto and grumbled, "What do you want? Can't you see we're busy!"

"I see you messin' with my friend!" He sent a glance back at the partially bruised and beaten Jaune as he felt his anger rise, "Now don't make me say it again! Drop him!"

Cardin scared them still with a look before taking a few steps out to face Naruto. The ginger Huntsman-in-training took a few more steps before stopping with a wry smile on his face. He shook his head, "Just so you know, Uzumaki, you're wasting your time calling this guy your 'friend'."

Naruto just narrowed his eyes and took a few steps forward to match him.

"Yeah, Jauney boy-Jaune over there, isn't who he said he is!" Jaune slowly raised his head and met Naruto's eyes as Cardin continued, "He's a liar. A fraud. He doesn't deserve to be here!"

Jaune lowered his head again shamefully at the true words, as harsh as they were.

Cardin hiked a thumb over his shoulder, "He'll never be a Huntsman. He ain't smart enough. He definitely ain't strong enough. He's not brave enough!" He yelled vehemently, desperate to make the boy in front of him see how unworthy Jaune was. Despite his contempt for the whiskered blond at least he earned his way into this school, "Do you get that?! Do you understand what that means?! It means he's never gonna be a Huntsman! He doesn't deserve to be one!"

"And you think you do?"

Cardin's anger was quickly snuffed out by the boy's quick retort. He merely stared at Naruto as he said through his scowl, "Look what you're doing! Beating someone up because you don't like them! Trying to justify it because they're weaker and not as good as you! That's not what a Huntsman does, Cardin! Huntsmen help people! Huntsmen do what they can to protect people! They put their lives on the line, against impossible and unfavorable odds because that's what they do!" Naruto was panting after his outburst before shaking his head in derision, "Jaune may not be strong, but I've seen him still try to help people despite that...and that makes him a hundred times more of a Huntsman than you."

...

Him?

He...wasn't as good of a Huntsman...as the liar?

...

Cardin took a deep breath and his shoulders trembled in anger before he growled out in a thick, furious voice, "I'm going to send him crying home where he belongs...but first..." He pointed to Naruto, "I'm gonna break you and put you down hard enough that you won't get back up."

Naruto squared off across from the armor-clad giant and matched his glare. Velvet's words echoed through his ears. The futility of physically fighting opposition like this. That it could only make things worse, and that people like this never changed. But then another voice followed after, rougher tone and even rougher words...

_"Let me tell you a cold, sad truth kid. Actions speak louder than words. You can try to make friends. You can try to joke. You can try to convince them who you are but they won't care. Because they already made a decision and they won't ever change that choice with just the words they hear. But action...the choice you make and the result it creates...that will stick forever..."_

He shook his head furiously to try and rid the horrid voice from his mind. Naruto struggled to focus again before his eyes shifted up to see Cardin striding towards him with his shoulders wide and his fists clenched.

Fine. If this guy wouldn't listen to anything he said, then he'd knock his head around until something stuck.

"Put 'em up, Uzumaki!" Cardin raised his fists as Naruto bounced on his toes, "I don't want anyone runnin' to your rescue when I plant you in the ground! WRAH!"

Cardin threw a wide fist out and met nothing as Naruto stepped back to avoid. The bulky teen pushed forward and threw fist after fist to catch the blond's head in anger but was met with empty space. Naruto leaned, ducked, and side-stepped out of Cardin's reach with each potential strike as his face never shifted from its glare.

Cardin roared and swung the back of his fist out in a desperate attempt as Naruto stepped in to the wide opening. The whiskered boy yelled and punched up into Cardin's chin, knocking his head back before Naruto slammed his shoulder into Cardin's breastplate and pushed him back.

The CRDL leader stumbled back and found his footing before charging forward again to attack. He threw punches at Naruto who had to avoid more animatedly to dodge. Naruto ducked under a fist and popped back up on Cardin's other side, the ginger growling and attempting to elbow the boy in the face. But Naruto's arms came up and blocked the full force of Cardin's arm with his own before his fist struck out and caught Cardin's nose.

"RGH!" Cardin groaned before swinging both arms out in lariats to clothesline him. But Naruto stepped into the attack and slipped under them before stopping directly behind Cardin's back. The NKTS leader kicked Cardin's leg in and toppled the giant in an instant. Cardin struggled and tried to fight back from the ground as Naruto's fists struck out and hit him several times faster than he could even fight back. Cardin's Aura shielded him from any lingering damage but the fast strikes to his temple and bridge rung through his guard and shocked him. A hammer fist came down on his jaw and knocked him down to the grass as Naruto stood over him, "Time to stop."

Cardin did have size and strength, but he relied on using his mace as a weapon and form of intimidation. His hand-to-hand was average at best. And he wasn't gonna use his weapon because he didn't wanna risk alerting Glynda or the others. But Naruto had made sure he could fight with or without a weapon when the time came. Even if he didn't have the Aura to augment his strength, his fighting skills more than made up for it.

CRDL's leader huffed and pounced up and was met with a quick kick to the chin that knocked him back over. The bully fell on his back in a heap and took several deep breaths as his teammates called out in worry, "K-keep going Cardin!"

"You can do it man!"

"Take him out!"

He was trying dammit! But this bastard was slippery!

Cardin growled through grit teeth and looked back up at the blond. He groaned, "That all you got, Uzumaki?"

Naruto's brow furrowed and he started forward before jumping up to throw out a kick-

"HA!" Cardin pounced up and caught Naruto midair as his kick lashed out and slid along his breastplate. He fell forward with Naruto still in his grip as they landed harshly in the grass, Naruto letting out a pained gasp as the drop combined with Cardin's weight fell squarely on his chest.

He was pinned to the ground as Cardin lifted himself up and prepared to rabbit punch him before he could get up. Naruto quickly guarded and turned his body to block the punch with his shoulder. He winced in pain before lashing an elbow out and catching Cardin in the corner of the eye. The larger teen screamed as Naruto pulled his legs out from underneath him and got up to his knees. He turned on the ground and caught the Winchester's cheek with a hook kick, felling the sturdier boy as his Aura saved him from a dislocated jaw.

The whiskered boy quickly climbed up to his feet as Cardin remained dazed from the rapid strikes that hit him. Cardin grit his teeth and started pushing off his knees to stand up. Naruto yelled as he jumped and spun in the air, getting some extra power as his feet came together and landed a dropkick across the bully's face.

Cardin spun out and landed on the ground with a thump as Naruto quickly caught himself and stood back up. CRDL's leader groaned as he struggled to catch his breath and lift himself up. His breathing was ragged from trying to keep up with Naruto's superior martial arts and he wasn't sure how much Aura he had left.

"Give up Cardin." Naruto said, his breathing a little heavy but no worse for wear after their brawl. He shook his head and stood up tall, "You can't beat me. It's over."

Over? It's not over until he beat up this whiskered punk to teach him a lesson! And after that he was gonna kick the shit out of Arc and expose him to everybody! His teammates were calling out his name and cheering him on to continue! That! That was what it meant to be a Huntsman! People recognizing that you were strong and worthy of being the best! That's what Huntsman were always supposed to be! He was going to prove it to these boys, and then to the rest of those other freshmen too!

He pushed himself up to his knees to fight again! He was Cardin Winchester! Going to be the best Huntsman out of Beacon! The strongest! And he was going to make this bastard-

...

He froze.

Russel, Dove, and Sky went silent and stood in fear.

Even Jaune with his bruised eye and face could only stare in shock.

Naruto was the only one confused by their sudden stillness before he felt a heavy breath run over his back.

**"Graaaaaaaaaaah."**

Naruto's body went still. No sudden movements. Gently, ever so slowly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

The black beast was massive, hunched over in its stature and standing well over ten feet tall. Its menacing red eyes pierced into all of them as it growled and looked between them all. It had patches and islands of bone armor over its limbs and body, with the most collected of it covering it's back and creating long spikes that jutted outwards.

That...was a big Ursa. An Ursa Major, unfortunately.

It didn't take long for him to figure out why it was their.

They were angry. Naruto was furious at the bully and his buddies hurting his friends, and he was getting more than the necessary amount of satisfaction from knocking him around. Cardin was angry that he was getting beat, and kept imagining how he was going to hurt them back if he got the chance. CRDL was anxious watching their leader fight. And Jaune was afraid his friend would get hurt.

They had lured in a Grimm with their negative emotions.

Naruto slowly turned his head back to face the others and could clearly see the fright in their eyes. He looked down and Cardin looked back up as the Winchester struggled to get his breath.

Don't move.

No sudden movements.

Just wait a second and they can-

Cardin panicked and sprung up to his hands and knees to crawl away from the Ursa's reach. Naruto cursed as the Ursa was triggered and brought its massive paw up to attack. He turned and saw the lash coming down towards him as he did a handspring to avoid its path. He popped back up on his feet and pulled out a short sword as he dashed in and struck it's knee.

The Ursa Major didn't topple or even notice the cut as it put its full weight and force behind a second wide swipe at the fighter beside it. Naruto quickly rolled underneath the massive creatures legs and came up behind it. He pulled out his katana and came up to his feet before swiping rapidly at the back of the Ursa's legs, catching against pieces of the bone armor and gaining the attention of the Grimm.

Jaune was dropped in the grass as the rest of CRDL scurried off in a panic. He heard them run off and looked back, ready to follow them. But as he thought about it, his arms and legs seized up and he was stuck on the ground. He could only hear the sound of his heartbeat drum through his ears and head as he slowly looked back to where his friend fought off the Ursa and Cardin got back up on his feet.

Naruto kept swinging against the Ursa and avoided its mighty yet slow attacks. But the cuts Naruto left didn't do much to the behemoth because of its thick hide and constantly blocking with its sturdy back. If he could just get the time to tie up his blades he could make quick work of this monster.

The Ursa bucked up and forced Naruto back before it lunged forward to tear into him. Naruto yelled as he jumped back and avoided the bite altogether, bringing his short blade down and into the Ursa's red eye.

**"GWOOOOHH!"**

The Grimm screeched a deafening wail as it popped up on its hind legs and waved its paws around in agony. Naruto took this opportunity to gain some distance and get his weapon together. He reached into his pack and pulled out a length of steel wire to tie his blades-

"Move!" Cardin came running in and knocked Naruto over as he charged ahead with mace in hand. He ignored Naruto's yell to come back as the Ursa calmed down and locked Cardin in with its one blood eye. Let the others run! Let them cower and retreat! He was going to be a Huntsman! He swung out, "HAAAA-"

**"GRAH!"**

The Ursa's paws came down and tore the mace out of Cardin's grip. The large teen was left defenseless before the Ursa's arms came back up and struck him directly under the chin. Cardin's body was covered in a burnt orange glow before it disappeared completely.

His Aura was depleted.

Cardin landed flat on his back and let out a pained groan as his eyes were swimming in his head. He gasped for air and struggled to prop himself up on his elbows as the massive Grimm towered over him. The monster's form was daunting. Cardin swore he could see his life flash before his eyes.

This was it.

He was dead.

He saw a barrage of small arrows come flying over and impact against the monster's side but only annoyed it. The monster raised its paws up to strike-

"CARDIN MOVE!"

Naruto came flying in and kicked Cardin as hard as he could, knocking him away. Naruto was left in the Ursa's path and raised his sword to block as its claws came down. The claws pushed into the sword and ripped into Naruto's forearm and bicep as the blond was sent flying from the attack, "AAAAAHHHH!"

Naruto rolled around in the dirt, clutching his bloody arm to support the gash. T-that was a lot of blood. He c-couldn't tell what was his and what was the grass. O-oh man, his sleeve got ripped up to. It was a nice sleeve.

"O-oh God." Naruto cursed under his breath as he felt it coming again. He grit his teeth through the pain and huffed out as best he could, "C-control! Control! Br-breathe! Just-AGH!"

It hurt too much!

He couldn't concentrate!

C'mon Cardin you asshole get out while you can!

Naruto panted and pushed up on his forehead as he saw the Ursa stalk toward him with a growl. The whiskered boy grit his teeth and his blue eyes focused in on the Ursa's single red. He forced himself onto his knees as his injured arm started to release a faint orange glow that started climbing up. If he didn't have any other way, then-

***THUNK***

Jaune came running in from the side and slammed straight into the Ursa's bad eye with his shield. He prepared to attack with his sword but the beast roared and forced the armor-clad blond back. The Ursa forgot about the injured Naruto and the stunned Cardin as it focused on Jaune.

Jaune took a deep breath and slammed his sword against his shield to draw it away, "Hey!" He did it some more, "Hey ugly! Come get me! Yeah! I-I'm not as big a meal but I'm lean and stuff! So come get me!"

The Ursa roared and charged forward as Jaune got into a poor stance, _Crocea Mors_ in his hands. He gulped in fear and stood his ground as the beast approached. He acted on instance and jumped in the Ursa's blind spot to avoid its charge, but the monster shifted and caught Jaune's side with one of its spikes.

The lanky blond was sent tumbling to the ground harshly as the Creature of Grimm roared and darted towards him again. Jaune scrambled to his feet and yelled as he swung his blade out to try and catch the Ursa before it could reach. His sword smacked the massive paw away before it could reach and Jaune stepped forward to pierce its belly. The Ursa roared and brought its other paw down into Jaune's side, sending the boy spiraling before he bounced off the ground. He quickly caught himself and charged forward before the Ursa could attack Naruto or Cardin.

Jaune's blade came across its shoulder and he got a shriek of pain from the beast. He chambered his sword again and prepared to slash again-

**"GWARH!"**

The Ursa's paw came up from beneath and caught Jaune's shield, slamming the top of it directly into his forehead with enough force to flip him through the air several times. He yelled before landing face-first into the ground with a cry of pain.

Oh. Oh that hurt.

Jaune struggled up to his hands and knees as a dull ring went through his ears. He could hear his own panicked, uneven breathing pattern as something slowly dripped onto the grass beneath him. It started to slide down his face and sting his eyes for a moment before he had to close them.

Blood?

Was this blood?

Some came onto his lips and he tasted metal.

Yep. That was blood.

Maybe if it was any other normal circumstance he would have gone numb in the legs and gagged, but he already felt numb enough so there wasn't any point to that. He looked down at his shield and saw there was a line of blood over the top of it from where it hit him.

Oh this was bad. Someone had to help them. Anyone beside him! Somebody had to come save them!

But there wasn't. Right now he was the only one still capable of fighting. He had to protect Cardin and Naruto no matter what. It didn't matter if he wasn't strong enough. He needed to do this now!

Jaune roared-at least he thinks he roared because he still only heard the ringing-and charged off the ground as the Ursa came running towards him as well. It jumped up and swung its claw out as Jaune guarded against it. The force of the attack pulled the shield off his arm and sent it clattering over the clearing. The student slowed to a stop and looked up to see the Ursa reeling back to attack again.

No.

No!

NO!

Jaune held his hand out to block the Ursa's swipe-

And a bright light covered his vision. Everything turned white as snow for a moment as the ringing in his ears slowly disappeared. He thought he was dead until he heard the pained, confused groan of the Ursa as well after the strange phenomenon subsided. The Grimm was dazed, stumbling back on its massive foundation before it quickly composed itself. It reeled back to strike-

NOW!

"HA!"

Jaune stabbed up and through the Ursa's head from under the jaw. The Grimm released one last dying gurgle before its arms went slack and hung by its side. Jaune was panting for air and looked up at the monster towering over him before he grit his teeth, pulled the sword out, and spun around before catching its neck and lopping off its entire head in one swipe.

The decapitated head bounced off to the side and Jaune's arms fell in exhaustion. His grip on his sword somehow held as he gasped for air and felt the cool sensation fill his lungs. Jaune struggled to keep his balance as he looked up...

And saw the Ursa's body falling over him due to the lack of its head.

Uh-oh. Tim-bear.

A sharp yank on his sword pulled Jaune off his feet and away from being crushed by the Ursa body. He landed on his back and laid there for a moment as he gasped for air.

H-how did that happen? What-oh who cares. He's alive.

His grip finally weakened and the sword slipped from his hand as his throat started drying up. He was thirsty. Eww-and he could feel the blood on his face starting to harden.

"H-holy crap, Jaune."

Jaune's eyes opened and he looked up to regard the armor-clad ginger that had finally recovered. Cardin watched in awe as the Ursa Major's body started to fade away into a black mist. The taller boy looked down at the blond and could only let out a cracked laughter in astonishment, "I-I can't believe you did that. That was crazy. I didn't know you had it-"

"Stop trying to hurt them."

Cardin stopped, "Huh?"

Jaune struggled to get to his feet and even when he did he looked like he was going to topple over, but he looked up at the larger boy with firmness in his eyes, "Just stop. I-I'm fine. I deserve it. If you think I'm not good enough to be here maybe you're right. But my friends are off limits!" Jaune said with an edge in his voice, "You're all on the same side Cardin. So stop fighting them."

This little...he was going to lecture him? He...

...

Cardin paused. He looked over Jaune's bloody face. He spared a glance over at the remains of the Ursa. He knew Naruto was back there clutching his arm, getting injured after protecting him from the Ursa attack. He didn't like Jaune. Or Naruto. And he was still angry. But-

_"And you think you do?"_

Cardin was silent, stone-faced as he looked forward before giving a sharp nod and walking away, "Yeah. Okay."

Jaune watched him leave before he let out a long sigh of relief. He thought he was gonna have to fight again. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Could his Aura protect him from another beating? Did he still have Aura? Why was his head hurt then? Did that Ursa smack his shield so hard this was the best Aura could do-

"You okay Jaune?"

The boy was brought out of his thoughts and looked over to see Naruto kneeling on the ground still clutching his injured arm, "Naruto!" Jaune shrieked and ran up to him as the whiskered boy stood up, "Are you okay?! How's your arm?! Oh man that looks bad! Is it gonna be okay or are your bones all-"

"I'm fine." Naruto opened and closed his fist a few times to assure him, "The damage is already healing. I just need a little time and I'll be all good. What about you?" He pointed up at Jaune's head, "That's a nasty gash you got there."

"Oh." Jaune touched his forehead and yelped in pain as a horrible sting spread through his head. Tears filled the corners of his eyes as he whined, "How did I not feel this before?! It hurts so much!"

"That's the adrenaline. You don't feel a lot of pain when that stuff kicks in but when it leaves, oh it's a doozy." Naruto grinned and shrugged, "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

"I will?"

"Yep." Naruto's grin grew even bigger, "Keep charging in and being a hero like you did and you'll totally get used to it."

"..." Jaune blinked, "Hero?"

"Naruto! Jaune!"

They looked over to see Ruby, Kiba, Weiss, and Pyrrha come running into the clearing and calling out to them. Their voices were filled with worry, fright, anger, and a little pride as they asked what had happened. Pyrrha trailed behind the group and watched her partner get ganged up on with questions.

She knew she should be panicked seeing him fight an Ursa like that. And she should be worried about the blood and injury on his head. But she couldn't help the smile that spread over her face...or the pride that filled her chest to see him do what he did.

**((((((((Hunting)))))))**

"Ow. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Please stop! Ow!" Jaune cried out as the nurse continued to suture the cut on his forehead with thread and needle. She continued to patch him up as he moaned in pain, "Couldn't you have numbed the pain or something?"

"I did. You shouldn't be feeling any of this. You're just so scared you think you feel it." The nurse replied as Jaune's face heated up in shame. The Beacon nurse motioned behind her to his fellow infirmary visitor, "Too bad you don't do what your friend does. He would be every doctor's dream patient if he wasn't so uppity and annoying."

Naruto glared at the older woman's back as he pouted on his bed, "Can I go now? I'm pretty sure my arm's all fixed up now."

"Let me finish with your friend and I'll check it out. Once I'm done you kids can go off and do whatever else you do to end up here." The nurse narrowed her eyes before nodding, "Okay." She grabbed a large bandage and applied over Jaune's wound before standing up, "Keep that covered for a little longer and your Aura will start working its magic. Be grateful you didn't get a concussion. You'll be fine."

Jaune touched the bandage carefully before asking, "So-um-is it just gonna disappear? Or-"

"Oh no. You've got a scar now kid." The nurse interrupted, "You can keep it as a memento of the time you killed an Ursa. Or better yet as a reminder that you should call for help before facing something that big yourself. I'll be right back."

She walked away and Jaune seemed perplexed by the idea of him having a battle scar. He was worried before Naruto spoke up, "Hey, think of it like this. Now you've got proof that you were a total badass hero." Naruto smiled and waved his arm around for emphasis, "I don't get those but considering that if I did I'm pretty sure my arm would be mangled, I'm not really complaining."

"Yeah." Jaune said quietly as he mulled over his thoughts. He hesitated before looking up at his friend, "Naruto?" He looked over, "What you said to Cardin...when you defended me and said I could be a Huntsman...why did you say that?" Jaune seemed to shrink in his bed and asked uncertainly, "I mean the things he said were mean sure but...he wasn't totally wrong."

"Jaune...you're my friend, but you are not a very good fighter." Naruto bluntly said before he shrugged, "But did you see what you did? You charged forward at that Grimm because you wanted to save me and Cardin. You looked scared, but you did it anyway because you knew it was the right thing to do. Strength and skill are things you can get from a lot of training, but the drive to help people and run in like that...not everybody has that. That's why I think you deserve to be a Huntsman."

Jaune just stared at his friend in surprise before quietly asking, "Really?"

"Totally." The whiskered boy shrugged, "Plus you willingly helped that jerk Cardin even though he bullied you and beat you up. Do you have any idea how many people can actually do something like that without thinking? Not a lot." Naruto asked rhetorically before shaking his head, "I'm pretty sure I couldn't do something like that even if I tried."

"Well...that's a lie."

"Huh?"

Jaune shook his head, "I mean Cardin was gonna get hurt by that Ursa but you came in and knocked him out of the way before he got hurt. Even though you could have died doing that. And you don't even like him. So...why did you?"

Naruto's smile fell and he blinked in surprise before he scratched his cheek, "Uh, well I don't know. I mean I sorta saw him in trouble and...I just reacted."

"Well...that's amazing too." Jaune pointed out, "I had to think about charging in there but you just did it." The scraggly blond smiled to his bewildered friend, "I think you'll be a pretty amazing Huntsman too, Naruto."

Naruto actually felt a pink hue come up to his face at the compliment as he laughed nervously, "Yeah yeah, keep complimenting me. See how that saves you." He slid off the bed before pointing sternly at his friend, "You gotta fix stuff with Pyrrha, okay? She's been worried sick about you lately. I don't know what happened but are you gonna take care it it?"

Jaune was surprised to hear that. Not shocked. Just...happy to hear she actually was worried about him after all that happened. He nodded as Naruto smiled and walked out of the infirmary, "I'll see you later buddy. Enjoy the badge of honor."

Jaune watched his friend leave and smiled to himself at Naruto's encouraging words. But then his thoughts turned to his lie and what he should do about it. The nurse came back into his sight and she groaned, "Did the other one leave already?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Uh." She shook her head, "Why did I take this job? All the kids here are so rowdy." She shook her head before looking at him, "Alright, let me get you signed out and you can get back to your room."

"Well, I'm glad to see my students are doing so well after their little encounter. I see you're doing better, Mr. Arc." They looked over and saw Ozpin walking in with his cane in hand. The headmaster looked around and inquired to the nurse, "I thought I heard Mr. Uzumaki was being treated here as well?"

"He was." The nurse said with a frown, "But he walked out before I could get a final check on him. Just missed him. Ask Goodwitch to chew his ear off when she sees him again, will you?"

"I'll do my best." Ozpin nodded before he turned back towards the entrance, "I should probably get out of your way-"

"Wait! Professor!" Jaune called out, getting their attention before he sat back in his bed and quickly asked, "Can I talk to you about something?"

...

Ozpin made his way over to the bed Naruto used and sat on its edge as Jaune did the same with his. The nurse quickly excused herself, "Well Jaune, what is it you wished to talk about?"

"It's...it's about how I came to Beacon."

Ozpin's face didn't change, "Oh? And why would we need to talk about that?"

"I...I didn't get here like other people. I didn't...earn my spot here. I don't think I can be a Hunter. I-"

"Why do you think some people are so willing to take on this job, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune reeled back at the interruption, "Huh?"

"Why do you think so many people want to become Huntsmen and Huntresses?" He reiterated, "The recognition? The praise? The adoration? The adventure? The thrill? Because it might be fun? I've heard all these answers and a hundred more from so many of my students over the years that I can't remember them all. Some of them are idealistic. Some are realistic. Some just want to dream. And others think it's really the only thing they can do with their lives. Everyone has a different vision of what being a Hunter is like...but what you experienced today...is the closest thing I can say to what it actually feels like."

Jaune was silent as the older man continued, "A foreboding sense of fear. Daunting tasks and monsters around you. But you press on because that's what you're supposed to do. What you were trained to do." Ozpin motioned to the bandage on Jaune's head, "Despite the injuries you get..." He tapped the bed he sat in, "Or the friends that could get hurt, you have to continue going...because you're supposed to protect people that can't protect themselves. You'll receive criticisms and blame and anger from the people just as much as you shall receive praise. They will not agree with you on everything. And some days you find it hard to do what you do. But you have to anyway...because someone has to."

Ozpin looked up and locked Jaune's blue eyes with his brown orbs. Jaune felt like he was being looked through by the older man before he continued, "Jaune, for someone that believes he doesn't have the training or the worth to become a Huntsman, yet still came here anyway...I see them as either the greatest fool in the world...or a great hero in the making...or both." He sat forward and caused the young boy to gulp, "So I will ask you myself...and think clearly...because strength and skill will help you fight the Grimm...but it will not protect you forever. So will you continue on this path? A path I can assure you will be filled with just as much pain as it will joy. Despair as it does triumph. When you may be faced with days where you will lose yourself or even worse, those that you hold dearest to you, and you may not have a way to help them. Despite this..."

"Would you continue forward...and become a Huntsman?"

...

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because...we have to."

It was silent between the two men before Ozpin fixed his glasses and shrugged, "Then I suppose your prior credentials really can't play a factor in that choice." He said plainly as he stood up and started off towards the exit. He looked back to the young blond and nodded, "Welcome to Beacon, Mr. Arc."

Jaune was left sitting on his bed in silence as he let Ozpin's words sink in. Was he ready...to be a Huntsman?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Pyrrha walked up the stairway and opened the roof door with a creak. When she walked out she finally found her partner standing by the edge of the roof wearing just his jeans and hoodie, removing his armor to wash the blood off it. He didn't seem to notice her arrival as she walked up behind him and spoke, "I'm glad to see you're up and about. Will you be okay?"

He looked back at his partner before smiling and tapping the bandage on his head, "Yeah. The nurse said it's gonna scar though. My little badge of honor. Or stupidity if I think of it in a different light." He played with the bangs of his hair and shrugged, "I guess I could grow my hair out a little and see if I can cover it."

"I suppose." She nodded before asking, "No Cardin today?"

"No Cardin." He affirmed before quickly panicking and looking over the side of the roof to see the window shut. He blew a sigh of relief before nodding, "I...I think me and Cardin are alright now. Or at least I think so."

"That's good." Pyrrha muttered, not really paying attention as she built up the nerve to say what she wanted to say, "Jaune?" He turned back to her, "I'm...I'm sorry I walked away that night. I wasn't sure what to do...but it shouldn't have been that."

"No." Jaune disagreed, "Nothing that happened then was your fault. I'm sorry I didn't ask you to stay. Or help." His eyes looked down with guilt and his shoulders slumped, "I...I really wanted to be the super cool hero that could do anything if I put my mind to it. Like the underdog that could use his will or whatever. I just thought it could work. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that was pretty-"

"Moronic?"

"-stupid, yeah. And when I thought about it I felt like a-"

"Imbecile?"

"Tool." He corrected before shaking his head in shame, "I'm sorry for making you worry. And I'm sorry I haven't been there with our team these last few days. But if you'll still have a moronic tool like me as your leader, I'd like to come back."

He got his answer as Pyrrha stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder with a smile, "You're the only person who could be our leader, Jaune. Moron or not." Pyrrha said with a laugh before beckoning him to follow, "Come on, we're going to do the pancake for dinner thing Nora and Ren suggested. We even saved some syrup we hid from Nora to put on them. Kiba figured out if you over feed her with syrup and she gets sick, she won't try to eat it anymore. It just took a lot of effort and a lot of syrup. They smell delicious~."

"Pyrrha."

She looked back to her partner as he nervously dug his foot into the roof, "I know I made you and the others worry a lot lately, and I'm pretty sure if I asked now you'd definitely tell me to take a long walk off the roof. But I finally realized that if I wanna be strong...I'm gonna have to train for it. So someday-not anytime soon if you don't want-but someday...could I take you up on that offer for training?"

"..."

Pyrrha didn't respond. She stayed quiet for several moments and Jaune had worried that he had ruined the friendship they had just mended. He waited with anticipation as Pyrrha slowly stalked towards him with a swing in her hips for some rea-

"WO-UOFH!"

Pyrrha kicked his leg out and toppled him in an instant. He rubbed his back before looking up to see a cheeky smile on her face with her hands on her hips. She said with a lighthearted tone, "You have a really bad stance. You'll never be able to fight without proper footing."

"P-proper footing. Got it." He climbed back up to his feet and looked down, "What's proper footing?"

"Put your feet as close as physically possible. And then stand up like you're a stick."

"Um-okay." He complied and followed her directions, "So this is a proper fighting-UOFH!" She knocked him over again and he looked up with a pout, "You know I have a head injury, right? Are you going to keep doing this?"

"Last time I swear." She said with a laugh before she offered him a hand. He was pulled up to his feet before she said in a more serious tone, "Spread your legs out to be about the same distance apart as your shoulders." He followed her directions and spread them apart, "Good. Now place the foot of the same side as your dominant hand back a little to steady yourself." He nodded, taking a moment to remember he was right-handed before pulling his right foot back, "Good."

Pyrrha tried to push him again and was met with much more resistance now with his proper stance. Jaune blinked in surprise and smiled before looking himself over. Pyrrha nodded proudly to her partner, "Good Jaune. This will be your first step."

"First step? To what?"

"To become a Huntsman."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**And just like that we've passed the canon stuff. That was fun, right? Nice little reprieve from my stuff. Well unfortunately we're back next chapter. But hopefully if I did it right, you guys will like it. Plus before we hit anything canon again, I have to mess with everything. EVERYTHING.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	33. Take a Look, In a Book

Hunting or Bust

Dust 28: Take a Look, In a Book

That manga artist is very alluring with the way he draws the girls. Weiss looks like a freakin' model. But lil'Weiss is the cutest thing ever.

Also...I think I've been severely affected by the new season of Daredevil again. That led to some weird times last year, remember? I mean I was always gonna call him something Wilsk out of respect for the Kingpin but I had no idea the show would blow up so much that people would call me out on it. Hopefully we won't see a Crank Fastle or Nlektra Eatchios popping up in this story anytime soon.

Although there are a few very eerie similarities I'm getting from Adam and Kilgrave. Obsessions with hot, smart, dark-haired girls to a creepy degree and not seeing their own mistakes? I can't be the only one seeing the avenue of beauty and comparisons to be made.

Anyway, on with the show. I loved writing them once, so I'm doing it again, and a few of you have been looking forward to it!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Show us!"

"I really don't-"

"Show us!"

"C'mon guys, give me a-"

"Don't be a wimp and let us see it!"

"Everyone, please don't push Jaune-"

"No Pyrrha! We must see! We've been waiting for days now!"

"Show us Vomit Boy!"

"Okay! Okay!" Jaune stopped and groaned, "Just back off." They all sat back in their seats before the blond boy sighed and reached up, the others leaning forward in their seats with anticipation.

Jaune parted his bangs to reveal the noticeable scar that now ran along his forehead. With the help of his Aura reserves the injury healed in just a few days, but the wound and the fix it had left a mark. Now Jaune would always have a reminder of his fight and triumph over the Ursa Major.

"Oh." Yang hummed and nodded, "It actually looks pretty good."

"It does?" He asked with uncertainty while letting his bangs fall back into place.

"Yeah." Yang said lamely, "I mean it'd probably look better if you had a better jawline and less goofy hair and..." She gestured to most of him, "Y'know, but it's still pretty cool."

"Oh. Thanks." Jaune responded in a stilted tone.

Yang laughed, "Oh c'mon, you know I'm kidding. But hey, this is a good thing! Now that you got that bad boy, you know who you can totally talk because you share the same facial feature? Wei-"

***THWACK***

Yang doubled over from the swift punch under her ribs as Weiss remained composed beside her. The heiress feigned surprise, "Oh no. Yang has hurt herself somehow. Let me check on her." She bent over to Yang's ear and whispered, "Don't go giving that moron anymore reason for him to shamefully flirt and romance me. It happens enough as it is. I don't need you adding Dust to the fire."

"But it's what I do best." Yang wheezed out to her teammate before coughing, "Okay, as long as you don't punch my lung again I'll shut up. Agreed?"

"Agreed. She's fine." Weiss announced while sitting up and sipping on her coffee again.

Yang pulled herself up and rubbed her side before glaring at her partner beside her, "You did nothing?"

Blake focused on the pages of her book and only took a break to sip some tea before resuming with her read. The well-being of her partner and the threats of the heiress a distant concern to her.

She didn't even care that Yang was glaring at her right now. She was off in reading-land, where silence was appreciated but ignoring the ridiculousness around you worked just as well.

Nora sat up in her seat and looked over at her leader with her big smile, "Well I think you look awesome now Jaune! Like one of those scarred heroes from the comics that can just look at an enemy and go WHAAA and freeze them in fear! And you look like you could totally take on an army of Grimm by yourself! Which is super impressive because you nearly got mauled to death just fighting one!" Somehow her compliment to Jaune had also carried an innocent jab at the expense of her leader, "Plus you know what they say about how much the ladies love guys with scars~."

"They do?" Jaune had heard his dad say something like that before. But he wasn't quite sure how well his father's advice worked in practice considering the track record.

Nora tilted her head, "I think so? I'm not totally sure. I never really thought about it."

"Is that true?" Kiba queried with his curiosity piqued at the topic, "Do people find scars attractive? I always thought that was just a joke?"

"Maybe." Yang gave a small shrug, "But it probably helps if you find the person with the scar attractive anyway. Probably just to spur them on even more with idea that you had a brush with death or something cliché like that."

Kiba still seemed puzzled by the idea but gave a small nod that he was satisfied with that answer for now.

Suddenly they heard the voice of their youngest friend carry over the cafeteria as Ruby came running over, "Yang! Yang!" The short redhead came up to her sister's side and shook her shoulder, "If we wanna make it to Vale we gotta get on the Bullhead soon! It's departing in a few minutes!"

"Oh, you're right. Good call, sis." Yang devoured the last of her meal before patting her belly satisfied and stood up, "Okay, ready to go!"

"And where are you two going?"

"We're heading to the city to visit a family friend of ours." Yang said with a grin, "I haven't seen her in forever and I was gonna pop in and say high. Maybe go take Bumblebee out for a little drive. Let my baby stretch its wheels out for a bit."

Ruby nodded with a smile, "I was gonna ask Ms. Hephe if she could send in for some parts I need for _Crescent Rose_. My baby needs some upkeep."

"Oh! Oh!" Tenten sat up and raised her hand with excitement.

Ruby quickly answered, "Yes, Tenten!"

"If you're going to the weapon shop, can I tag along? I think I figured out what I need to utilize Dust better with _Calad_ and _Bolg_."

"Sure! The more the merrier! But you gotta get your weapons quick cause we're going soon." Ruby answered and Yang grinned as the bun-haired girl popped out of her seat and ran to her locker.

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Figures you lot would use your weekend to tinker with weapons. I don't know what I expected."

"Aww, what's wrong Weiss-cream? Upset you weren't invite for the girls' day out?"

"Not at all." Weiss answered Yang's snarky comment with a smug smile and dainty hand on her chest, "I'll have you know that while you're just indulging in base desires, I'll be furthering my pursuit of education. I'm going to the museum to see an exhibit of some recent unearthed artifacts they're showing off. And getting some extra credit for Professor Oobleck's class while I'm at it."

Yang's expression fell into one of complete boredom as she struggled not to yawn, "Wow. I was just joking but way to waste a free day, Weiss. Have fun going to a museum by yourself. Keep the bland life going."

The heiress leveled a mild glare towards the blonde before turning up her nose, "Like I'm desperate to get your approval. And I'll have you know that I'm not going alone. I invited Ruby but obviously she didn't want to join." The hooded girl muttered out an apology before Weiss continued, "Sasuke will be accompanying me because he's interested in this wonderful piece of history as well."

A few people spared the Uchiha a look and saw the dejected expression he had. He spoke up with no energy in his voice, "She cashed in the favor I owed her for helping with my paper."

"Don't tell them that." The Schnee hushed and crossed her arms haughtily, looking between the sisters, "So enjoying tinkering with your toys. We're off to expand our minds."

"Well...this is a funny coincidence." They looked over towards Pyrrha and Jaune as they smiled nervously and the champion continued, "We're actually going to the museum as well for the extra credit. We thought it would be a good chance to make up some work we've missed recently."

Mostly Jaune, due to the whole 'Cardin errand boy' debacle.

The blond smiled awkwardly and waved, "L-let's have fun."

...

The shit-eating grin on Yang's face grew as she turned to the stunned heiress, "Enjoy expanding your mind while slamming it into a wall."

"Well I guess we all got stuff to do today." Kiba stood out of his seat and scratched his head, "I got some weird note from the mail office that said I got a package today. But I have to go into the city because it was too big to send up here."

"Ohhhhhh! Mysterious package!" Nora chimed, "That sounds like fun! Can me and Ren come along?"

"Sure."

"What?"

"YAY!" The orange-haired girl cheered in joy as she leaped from her seat and started with excitement, "Let's go! The Bullhead awaits!"

They watched her dash across the cafeteria in an instant as Ren slowly stood up and walked by Kiba with a frown, "You could have deterred her and said no."

"Yeah but where's the fun in that?" The tattooed boy smirked as they followed after Nora and the others started making their way out too.

Ruby looked around, "Hey, where's Naruto?"

"We tried waking him up but he kept waving us off and falling asleep. Letting him have a day off or whatever."

Yang hung back and looked towards Blake as the bow-wearing girl remained seated with book in hand, "Blake~. Last chance. You sure you don't wanna come?"

Blake flipped the page, "Enjoy your day out."

"C'mon~. Bet it'll be fun~."

"I'm quite content where I am today."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Fine. Whatever. Enjoy your atrophy and solitude."

"Always do."

The blonde bombshell waved her off and Blake suddenly found herself sitting alone. The cafeteria wasn't quiet because there were still groups of students talking or getting meals. But compared to the usual panic and bedlam she had become used to while sitting with these people, this might as well have been paradise.

She would probably migrate back to their room and get comfortable in bed soon enough. Get through a massive chunk of this book. Decide which book she might want to read next. Perhaps get very comfortable and dig into that 'special' group of books she had stashed away.

Today was going to be a good day.

But first she was going to enjoy this peace...a wonderful tasting tea...and a great book.

...

...

...

"Morning!"

Blake lowered the book enough to peak over its top and saw Naruto standing on the other side of the table with a smile on his face and a light blue bandana on his head. The whiskered boy waved to his fellow Faunus as her amber eyes blinked a few times in silence. She looked back to her story, "It's almost noon."

"Oh. Well then good noon, I guess." He corrected before dropping down in the spot across from her. His hands drummed against the table as he looked around the cafeteria. He caught sight of the black-clad girl giving him a stern glare over her book and looked down at his hands before pulling them back, "Sorry."

Blake rolled her eyes wearily and inquired as she roamed over the pages, "So what are you doing exactly?"

"Just waiting." The blond replied as he looked around more adamantly for their group of friends, "I'll see what the others feel like doing today. Might get some training in with the team and work on our combos. Challenge Ruby at a Scroll game. I might even sit back and watch Jaune try to hit on Weiss for a few laughs."

"They're gone."

"What?"

"I said they're gone." Blake repeated as she took a sip from her teacup, "They left for the city about ten minutes ago. I'm certain they're already gone by now."

"What?!" He screamed in shock, "W-why didn't they tell me?!"

Blake sighed and lowered her book, knowing she wasn't going to get any reading done until she answered the frantic boy's questions, "They said something about letting you sleep in."

"Sleep in?!" He scoffed, "Why would they do that?! I wasn't even-" He cupped his chin and gasped in surprise, "Oh no wait I was tired. And I totally told them to let me sleep. Dammit! Where did they go?! Anywhere fun?!"

"Yang and Ruby went to a weapon shop. Weiss went to the museum. Your partner went to the post office. The others broke off into groups and went with them there." The cat Faunus answered before resuming her read, "I don't know the locations or how long they'd be there. But the Bullhead left and I don't think it'll be back anytime soon."

Naruto stood there with a slacked jaw and watery eyes, flabbergasted at the idea that his friends would go off and do stuff without him! Granted from what she said only Ruby and Yang were going somewhere even remotely fun but still dammit! He plopped down in his seat and hung his head until it hit the table, jostling Blake's cup of tea and earning a pointed glare from the girl.

After a moment his head kept rested on the table and Blake went back to reading her story in peace. They sat in relative silence, only the sounds of others in the cafeteria and the occasional turn of a page breaking the stillness before it returned.

Blake noticed Naruto sigh and get out of his seat before walking away. She didn't look up or ask where he was going as she just hoped she could get her peace and quiet back.

***Thump***

She didn't.

Her bow twitched and she lowered her book completely to see Naruto had come back with a tray of food. His forlorn expression didn't change even as he bit down into a chicken tender and sighed, "Can't believe they just ditched me."

"I hardly call letting you sleep at your own request 'ditching you'." The black-haired girl corrected and received an annoyed side glance from the whiskered boy across from her. She returned it with a pout and glare at his attitude, "Don't you think you can use this time for something beneficial? Why not use it to catch up on work? Or study? Or anything else. Far away from here."

"I did it all already." He offhandedly replied with a wave of his hand, "I do anything more and I'd be approaching Weiss-levels of sucking up. What about you?" He asked the hidden Faunus, "Why didn't you go with them?"

"None of the activities they were doing piqued my interest. I wasn't keen on going to a weapon shop when my weapon is already fine as it is. There is nothing fun about going to the post office. And you said it best, there's only so much you can do before you're brown-nosing like Weiss."

"Well said." He chuckled before tossing the rest of the tender in his mouth and moving on to the pasta.

Blake watched him devour his mountain meal and stated blankly, "I have no idea how you can stomach eating all of that so easily. I'd be full for an entire week if I ate that much."

"Hey, I appreciate food. I know how hard it is to cook this stuff and I know what it's like living with an empty belly. So when I can I fill up. Maybe you just haven't had the right meal to realize that." Naruto spared a teasing smirk and the wave of a fry to the girl, "I bet if this was fish you would be inhaling it like air~."

Blake sat up in her seat with a miffed pout and an embarrassed hue in her cheeks, "I find fish delicious. And I enjoy it very much when I eat it. But I don't consider what I do as 'inhaling' it." She was totally convincing the NKTS leader and not herself with that defense, "I'm sure if you had your favorite food in front of you, you would be indulging yourself."

"Oh you're right about that." Naruto agreed sincerely, "If I had a bowl of ramen in front of me right now I'd be slurping that stuff up in an instant. Especially considering how long it's been since I last had some."

"So why don't you go get some?"

"I've tried. Believe me I've tried." Naruto started counting off his fingers, "That whole time I was under Wilsk's thumb and stole stuff around the Kingdoms I looked for some but never found a good place. Searched through Vale stores but they're always out. I thought I could get some here but they don't make any! If I asked for freakin' swordfish they'd have that in an instant but ramen?! God forbid!" Naruto grouchily sighed with a fond look out, "I've gone years without having the heavenly taste of ramen on my tongue again. And I'm under the impression now that it's just a long lost treasure I may never have again. I have to tide myself over with other meals and food...but it's just not the same."

"Oh you poor tortured soul." Blake patronized with every bit of sarcasm evident in her words.

"I know you don't actually mean that but I choose to take your words at face value. So thanks." The boy said back without a wasted moment. He had been around this group long enough now where he could return their snark with snark of his own. He rested his head on his hand and looked around in boredom. He looked back towards Blake and asked hopefully, "So do you wanna do anything today?"

"No thank you." She shot him down immediately. Her words were polite but the sharp, curt tone conveyed that she really wasn't interested in any idea he had to offer.

He persisted, "Oh come on! There has to be something you want to do for fun! I mean I know you ain't the most energetic of people but there has to be something you want to do today!"

"There is." She lightly rapped one finger against the spine of her book for emphasis, "I'm doing it right now."

"Oh-pfft-reading? Really? I get you like to read so you don't have to talk when we're all sitting together but you're actually using today to read?! That's crazy!"

"How is that crazy?"

"Because reading is the single most boring thing to do in the whole world!"

...

He did not just say that.

Blake slowly closed her book, saving the page she was on with a bookmark, and lowered it to the table. Her shoulders were hiked up a little and her sharp eyes dug into the ignorant boy across from her, "What?"

He noticed the ire in her voice before he continued, "I mean deciding to read has to be, like, resorting to talking about the weather with somebody."

"Oh I wish we could just talk about the weather and end this stupid and absolutely wrong conversation."

"Hilarious. But reading is boring you have to admit that!"

"No! No I don't!" Blake defended as she became much more passionate about the topic after he referred to it as boring, "Reading books is one of the most enjoyable and enriching experiences you can have!"

"You sure about that? Because I haven't found a book that's enjoyable in a very long time."

"Well I have a very strong suspicion that you've never opened a book that didn't have colored pictures or pop-ups in them before."

Naruto was silent before giving a small shrug, "Okay, you've got me there. But I have read the books Professor Oobleck and Port give us! And I read one for that midterm paper too! They were boring!"

"Those are textbooks! They aren't supposed to be engaging! They're strictly informative!"

"Whatever." Naruto sat back in his seat with a stubborn frown and petulant tone, "I couldn't find an interesting book if I had a lifetime to search."

"You just don't know where to look." Blake said as she huffed and plopped down in her seat with her arms crossed, more affected by the conversation than she expected, "If we were in a library I could find a book even you would enjoy and shut up about."

...

"Well okay then!"

Blake's eyes widened as she looked up and saw the lopsided smile on the whiskered boy's face, "Not exactly my ideal day but better than nothing! Let's see you pick something out from the library!"

Blake gasped as her shoulders slumped in horror. She shook her head furiously, "No no no no, that's not what I meant-"

"Too late. It's happening."

"No!"

He grabbed her wrist and smiled, "Let's go!"

"Nooooooooo-IYA!"

And they dashed off, Blake just having enough time to grab her own book before it was too late.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"So you are not sure what was sent? Or who sent it to you?"

"Nope. Just got a message from the office that said the Vale Post Office had something for me." Kiba said with a wave of his Scroll as he and Ren walked along the sidewalk with Nora happily skipping in front of them, "They said it was urgent and that I need to pick it up today."

Ren cupped his chin, "That is peculiar."

"That sounds like fun!" Nora blurted out as she turned on her feet and started skipping backwards while holding the conversation, "Maybe you have some kinda secret admirer that sent you this huge gift that you need to get right away! Oh, or maybe you have a secret adversary that sent you some kinda bomb and when you go to pick it up it blows up! You don't have any super secret admirers/adversaries we need to know about, do you Kiba?"

He shrugged, "Well I did start some fights when I was a kid and in training school. But I also might have gotten some much deserved attention with my rugged good looks and charm."

"HA!" Nora chortled and held her sides while laughing at the tattooed boy's statement. She struggled through her uncontrollable laughter, "That's funny! C'mon Kiba be serious!"

"I was totally being serious."

"Then you're delusional, silly!"

Kiba frowned and looked at Ren for support as the pink-eyed boy nodded, "I thought you were kidding as well."

"Whatever." Kiba grumbled as they rounded the corner and spotted the Vale Post Office. They approached and Kiba pulled a hand out of his jacket to go for the door, "Let's see what all the fuss is-"

They immediately went silent as they heard a crash and clatter inside the post office followed with yelling and screams. The teens froze in place and listened to the pandemonium that was occurring just past the doors. They spared each other a look and focused back with furrowed eyes. They prepared for any fight that might happen when they opened the doors-

"Bark!"

The doors popped open and something barreled through fast enough to knock Kiba into the street. Ren and Nora looked back in surprise just in time to see a massive white creature lurking over the boy's downed form. They had thought that maybe a Grimm had invaded until-

"Ahahahahahahaha!" Kiba laughed through the incessant licking covering his face as he pushed on the big furry neck holding him down, "S-stop! Stop it! C'mon your breath smells like balls!"

"Raow!"

"Well I'm not wrong!" Kiba pushed against the furry neck and made the huge canine shuffle back. The massive happy dog sat down and panted as Kiba sat up and started rubbing his ears affectionately, "Akamaru! I can't believe you're here!"

"Ruff!"

"Well I didn't think you'd come visit by getting sent by mail!" He laughed as the dog's tail wagged back and forth rapidly, delighted to be reunited with his best friend again. Kiba hugged Akamaru and the dog barked again in joy before he asked, "How did you get here anyway? And what's with the collar?"

Akamaru barked and turned his head to reveal a note tied to the collar. Kiba plucked it out and read its contents.

_Hey there little brother! It's Hana! I'm interning at a hospital close to home so I can come visit for a few months! Which means when I see you again at the end of the semester you better have survived Beacon! You got it!_

_So when I got back to the shelter I found that everything seemed about the same. The animals were causing chaos. Mom was screaming at them and shutting them up in an instant. But the only difference was Akamaru was totally depressed. Call it a bleeding heart but I can't stand seeing him mope like that. And knowing you two, you were probably missing him as well. So I thought I'd send him over to you for awhile and cheer him up!_

_Now get reacquainted and cheerful and happy and everything but remember that he can't stay with you forever. Man up and send him back home when it's time. And keep the collar on him. I know how much he hates it but Vale's a big place._

_Survive the rest of the semester and we'll hold a big party for you when we see you over the break. You better survive and stay safe. Or me and Mom will totally kill you._

_Love you, _

_Hana _

"Stupid." Kiba muttered with a big grin before smiling and scratching Akamaru's head, "Guess you're staying with us for a few days, huh buddy? You excited!"

"Ruff!"

"Good! Because I've met a lot of new people that I want you to meet!"

"Oh my god it's a puppy!" Akamaru jumped up to attention as Nora came running in with a massive grin on her face.

"Yep! This is Akamaru. Akamaru, these are my friends Nora and Ren. Say hi."

"Ruff!"

"Ahhhhh!" Nora cheered before she immediately buried herself under the big dog's neck and mumbled into his fur, "He's so fluffy and cute and adorable! I love him!" She pulled back and looked directly at the dog, "Hi there Akamaru! It's nice to meet you! Can we be friends?!"

He answered her question by quickly licking her face and causing the ginger girl to giggle and laugh. She happily hugged him tighter but Akamaru didn't mind at all as he continued panting and wagging his tail at the attention.

Ren stood on the sidewalk and watched the scene in shock and confusion. It was a dog? That thing? Dogs weren't that big. They couldn't be that big. That was almost the size of a human. Heck, that thing was probably bigger than Nora. And it was Kiba's pet.

The usually taciturn boy opened the door and looked inside the post office. There was a giant crate that had been smashed open from the inside. The chairs and lights were flipped over and people all over the room were panting or moaning after trying to chase the massive dog.

And that thing would be at Beacon for an unspecified amount of time?

"Hey Ren! Come meet our new best friend! He's so fluffy!"

Oh poor NKTS. But better them than him.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake sat at the table, her face in her hands and regret filling her thoughts. She wanted a quiet day just to read. Enjoy some time for herself. Anything.

Instead-

"Holy crap look at the size of these things!" The blond announced as he held up a book that needed both hands to support it, "They're huge! Who had the time to write this?! I bet you could break a Grimm's armor with this thing!"

She sat here, cursing the slip of the tongue that made Naruto think that she was offering to show him some books.

If she could go back in time just a bit earlier to when they were in the cafeteria...

She'd snap her past self's neck and take her place. Didn't matter if that created a paradox or whatever. That Blake had forfeited her chance to enjoy a day of peace. She got what was coming to her.

"What about some of these?" Naruto approached with several books in hand, "_Electric Sheep and How Your Entire Understanding of Your Personal Reality is Wrong. A Trip to The Island of Hunting Men. Virtual Boy and The Girls He Attempts to Court? _Should these be in a school library?"

"Beacon's library has a vast array of books spanning all different genres and topics. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there are enough books here for each student to read and-"

"Do you think they have comic books anywhere?"

"Okay." Blake stood out of her chair and started for the exit, "I'm leaving."

"Wait wait wait!" Naruto reached out before she walked off, "What happened to showing me a book that was so good it would shut me up?"

"You took that out of context." Blake mumbled with an annoyed glower, "That was just a throwaway statement I made in haste while we had an argument. I wasn't making an offer. I didn't say we should go to the library. I'm leaving."

"If you leave, you're never gonna change my mind about books."

That somehow put an instant halt in Blake's grumpy march out. The black-clad girl remained frozen as a cheeky smile came over Naruto's face. He crossed his arms and smiled wider even though he knew she couldn't see it, "If you're so certain books are great then we won't have a hard time picking one out. You can prove me wrong and know you converted somebody to this wonderful hobby or whatever. But if you can't or walk away, I might just brag about it to everyone~."

She turned back fast enough that her wavy ebony hair billowed with her movement as her sharp eyes bore into him. Naruto stood with a grin and raising his eyebrows back and forth, awaiting her response.

Blake was silent as she contemplated what would happen if she just walked. She could go back to reading her book in peace. But he would win this silly, one-sided bet or wager or whatever it was. That didn't bother her at all.

The boasting and bragging to their teams and comrades was the part she was dreading. It would be relentless. Him with his smug smile. Rebounding off of Yang with her terrible jokes. Weiss huffing and shaking her head in disappointment, probably saying something about her lack of initiative to put him in his place. And Ruby suggesting they try book searching as a team, offering to invite the rest of NKTS and probably JNPR too.

Annoying deal now? Or dismay later?

Blake pouted before she turning on her heels and walking past Naruto, "You and Yang both cause me so much grief I can't even begin to comprehend. Maybe you were both born under the same irritating star. Or maybe the hair color is just a characteristic of dread."

Naruto blinked and asked honestly while pulling on a strand of hair peaking out from his bandana, "What's wrong with my hair?"

She didn't even bother to answer as she walked up to a bookshelf and started perusing the selection of books. If she was going to be here then she was going to use the chance to help herself as well. Skim through a few choices and see what the library has to offer. This might not be the worse way to spend an evening after all.

Naruto walked up to her side as she picked out a book and already started reading into it. The whiskered boy watched in amazement as Blake became completely engrossed in the story. Whether books were interesting or not, it was pretty amazing how she could devote so much of her attention into them so quickly. Like she just let her imagination and the words take over for a moment. She must really adore them.

...

She has really pretty eyes. Wonder why he was only noticing that now?

What was he doing? Oh right, books.

Blake had apparently drifted back off into her own little world and left him unsupervised. He started picking out other books and looking over their covers to see if any piqued his interest. He picked several and held them out for the resident expert to decide, "How about these ones? They seem like they're pretty good."

Blake spared a look up to see what Naruto had offered before tilting her head quizzically. She shook her head, "I'm not sure those would be very good choices for you. I don't see you enjoying stories about political investigations or character dramas about widowed single mothers."

Naruto looked over the books and noticed the reviews and awards covering the hardback, "But there are a lot of reviews and praises on these things. Doesn't that mean something?"

A rare, amused smile came over the cat Faunus' face and noted, "You understand that what you're doing is literally judging a book by its cover, right?" Naruto blinked in realization and lowered them as a hue of embarrassment joined his frown, "Besides, it doesn't matter what accolades or reviews it has, people have different tastes and likes in what they read or watch. In the end it's up to the individual to bite the bullet and plunge into that experience themselves."

"Oh." Naruto blinked, impressed by the girl's reasoning as he looked the books over a few times. His eyebrow peaked, "Wait if you're not going off the cover then how do you know I wouldn't wanna read it?"

"Because I read them both. And while I think they're both good, even I have to admit they were both a little long-winded and dull. It's kind of like one of Professor Port's lectures, good story but boring detail. You can read them if you want but I'm not sure you'll enjoy them." Blake closed her book and shelved it before browsing again, "You strike me more of an adventure, thrill story with heroes and consequences. The kind of books Ruby likes too."

"That's a pretty fair assumption." He had to agree with the girl's deduction. He watched her pull out another book and start glancing over the pages as she instantly dove into it. Okay, there was impressive, and then there was just showing off. After a moment his face scrunched up in bewilderment, "Hey, weren't you gonna help me pick out a book? That's gonna be pretty hard when you've got your nose buried in another one like that."

"I am going to pick out a book. But I'm not going to comb over this entire library and make a collection of choices to offer." Blake stated evenly while focusing on the book, "I'm going to go over the books I've read from my memory and make decisions about what I think you would enjoy the most. And I think more clearly while I'm reading."

"Oh..."

Blake noticed the dissatisfied tone in his voice and the bored frown on his face. She rolled her eyes, "Instead of waiting for me, why don't you look around and browse yourself? You might find something you like or learn something new."

Naruto reluctantly agreed to the idea and started filing the books away again. He opted instead to look over the tomes that covered the shelves and see what he could find. He couldn't judge by its cover but they had to be intriguing enough to get his attention. That's kind of a double standard now that he thought about it.

He pulled one out and mindlessly skimmed through the pages while talking, "Picked from your memory? Why do I feel like that's a really big bank to pick from?" He got a knowing, coy smile from the girl for only a second before she went back to reading. He felt exhausted just imagining it, "You really like books, don't you?"

"I find a certain calmness when I read. Always have. As long as I can remember."

"And you got a ton of books to choose from too. Not just the library. I've seen the personal collection you got building up in there as well."

That was enough to earn a worried look from the beauty as she lost focus of her reading, "You've...seen my books?"

"Yeah. A lot of them. When Ruby and Yang invite us in before we go off to do something fun or whatever." Blake seemed to stiffen at that reveal as Naruto kept talking, "Kiba smells the air and heaves because of the mix of girly smells and perfume. Jaune stutters like a moron when he sees Weiss' empty bed and Yang starts goading him into doing something." Blake tried to hide her discomfort behind the book at listening to someone else enter her room without her knowing, "And I see your huge stack and rows of books in the drawers. Except for this one book that was filed behind the other books like it was hiding or whatever. Some book about Ninjas of-"

***SLAM***

Naruto's whole body tensed in shock, the ears hidden beneath his bandana twitching from the loud clap of the book slamming shut. He blinked in surprise and looked at the girl that had shut it so loud that it echoed through the library and startled others around them. The usually calm and aloof girl looked up at him, her amber eyes hardened in contempt at the blond beside her before she spoke in a stern, unyielding tone...

"Forget that book. Forget you ever saw it. Forget those words completely and make sure you never mention them to anybody else for any reason. Are. We. Clear?"

"Um-"

"Clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good." Blake switched out the books and opened a new one, "Keep browsing."

Naruto quickly complied, not willing to push the girl's buttons after that sudden display.

He suddenly remembered how scary women could be when they wanted to be. Like how a certain redhead woman acted when he didn't eat his vegetables as a kid. Or how Tenten could be when their laundry had started to stack up and no one wanted to be the one washing them. Or when Yang was being Yang.

Oh geez, now he was really wishing the others had invited him to whatever they were doing.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

("Now as you can see by the fading of the paint and aged stone, these carvings and paintings are estimated to be hundreds if not thousands of years old. Drawn by ancestral clans and nomad groups well before the definitive boundaries of the Kingdoms. In fact, these ancient depictions tell of the precursors of modern Kingdoms that people bordered off to protect themselves. As well as the advancing attacks of the Grimm, and the initial separations from the Faunus population. Now in the next exhibit-")

"Jaune!"

"Huh?" Jaune was startled awake and stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes. He looked to his sides to see the stern frown of the Schnee heiress and the judging look of his champion partner. He straightened up and tried to save face, "Sorry guys. This whole exhibit wasn't as exciting as I had thought."

Pyrrha's look immediately changed to one of sympathy as she nodded, "I understand this isn't the most engaging of activities Jaune, but you promised that you would stick with it and write up a paper for Doctor Oobleck for the credit. So you can't falter now."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." The lanky blond apologized while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "I swear I'm not doing this on purpose. It's just I thought since this was extra credit for History it'd be a little more energetic, like Oobleck. But the flat voice and the stories make me feel like I'm in Professor Port's class."

"Well you need to buck up and get yourself together." Weiss lectured with her hands on her hips and a scowl directed at the taller boy, "I don't need your fatigue and laziness affecting me while I'm trying to absorb everything, okay?" Her statement and tone left no room for argument.

"I'm sorry." Jaune apologized earnestly, earning a slightly surprised look from Weiss at the simple admission without any attempt to bolster himself. He gently patted his cheeks, "I think I need a drink or something to keep me awake."

"That's a good idea." Pyrrha agreed, "There was a café open before the exhibit started. Why don't we go grab something to drink?"

"Definitely." The two partners headed back the way they came, "Do you two want anything?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I'm good, but thanks for offering."

Weiss was silent for a moment before looking back at the exhibit, "I'll take whatever coffee they have."

"Perfect." Jaune smiled and followed Pyrrha back to the café, "We'll be back in a sec."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms as she looked over the exhibits again, annoyed that she wasn't actually taking the time to review the images and professional notifications underneath. She stood there in silence before she noticed Sasuke step up to her side, "You're not upset he's not hitting on you anymore, are you?"

The Schnee girl seemed appalled by the mere thought and swallowed a gag. Her head and ponytail whipped around to face him with anger, "Absolutely not! The moment that irritant decides to forfeit any chances of trying to date me, I'll break into song and dance." Weiss clarified, "I was just...surprised to see he wasn't trying to make an excuse for himself." A smile came on her face at the idea, "Maybe something in his brain was fixed after getting rattled around."

"Maybe." Sasuke agreed as they stood together in silence and looked over the photographs taken of the dig site where all the artifacts were found. Photographs of ancient drawings scrawled over innumerable walls from who knows how long ago.

"Can I ask you something?" Weiss inquired of her companion as he turned to her, "Why did you come with me? I mean besides owing me a favor. If you really didn't wish to come here you didn't have to." The shorter girl looked up at him quizzically, "So why?"

"I was interested in seeing what this exhibit had to offer. The forming of the Kingdoms. The beginning of Dust utilization." Sasuke looked up at the drawings of people taking up arms against the Grimm for the first time, "The origins of Hunters." Sasuke's face changed into a more focused stare at the pictures before asking in return, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why did you want to come here? I mean from what I gather you hardly need any extra credit in any of your classes. So why?"

Weiss seemed concerned by that question before she blushed bashfully, "Well-um...I suppose if I have to admit it...this would be a trip to indulge in my success." The Uchiha looked at her oddly before she motioned to the entire ancient artifact exhibit around them, "All these pictures and artifacts and exhibitions...they're here because we succeeded in taking down Fenton Wilsk's operation."

That garnered the Uchiha's full attention as the ivory-haired beauty looked around in admiration, "This exhibit was one of the reasons Wilsk was in Vale in the first place. It was supposed to be covertly transferred from Vacuo to Mistral without any unwanted attention from the underworld. Considering the person they were asking for assistance, they obviously made the wrong choice. But after he was apprehended by the police, this exhibit was stopping off here before going over to Mistral. And I wanted to see it for myself...the results of our efforts. That shows that even though we might not receive the praise other Huntsmen and Huntresses would receive from doing it, we still did something good to help people."

What would her sister think of her if she found out she had a part in the biggest crime take-down of the century? Even Winter would have praised her for her initiative and bravery. That brought a smile to Weiss' face.

Sasuke didn't respond but merely smiled in agreement as the duo were edged out by another group of visitors. They moved over to the next set of images depicting ancient and unknown stories.

The humans and Faunus were bordered off by a massive, horrifying darkness that pushed them to either side of the wall. The humans were armed with Dust and weapons to defend themselves, while the Faunus charged forward and appeared as monstrous as the abominations they faced. And strange white figures standing inside the field of darkness, as if they were immune from it.

This was something no one in recent decades would have ever gotten to see because of the destruction of art. Something untouched and unseen by mankind for hundreds of years.

The beginning of civilization...and the wars against the Grimm.

"Seems the Faunus were even worse back in those days than they are now." Weiss silently admired the strange sketches of their ancestors. She inclined her head in thought, "The people that protected civilization back then, against everything, do you think they would be happy to know that we've made it this far?" Weiss laughed a little at the idea before putting a hand on her hip, "I bet they would be relieved if they were alive today. Better tools to assist in the job. More people joining the cause. And they'd probably be praised much more for their heroics now than they ever were back then."

"They never did it for the praise."

Weiss looked over to see Sasuke staring up at the exhibit with a complicated expression. He wasn't showing the smile he usually had around her or the others. He had settled into a frown, his eyes narrowing at the image of humans fighting against the Grimm, "They knew they would never be praised. They would never be rewarded. That they may never be thanked for their duty. But they did it because they knew they were the only ones able to bear the weight of the job given to them. They only had this duty...no matter how hard it was."

Weiss just stared at Sasuke silently and took notice of his tone and expression. He seemed different talking like this. Not as cheerful or bright. This was solemn. She had seen it once before when he was talking about his parents and family. For a moment his face changed before immediately turning back into a smiling mask. But why was this so different. Why was it when he spoke like this he seemed...genuine? Different?

"We're back."

Sasuke snapped back to reality and forced the smile back on his face as they turned to greet Jaune and Pyrrha again. The two partners brandished the refreshments they had brought. Jaune held out a can of coffee for the heiress and grinned, "Your order, Milady."

Oh joy, just as she thought that was over with. She sighed and just held her hand out awaiting him to put it there. Jaune smiled and chuckled awkwardly before placing it in her hand. She popped it open and had a taste, not quite appreciating the bland flavor and severe lack of caffeine.

However, he did buy it for her...

"Thank you."

This earned a smile from the lanky blond before he turned back to look over the exhibit again with his partner. The heiress continued sipping from her can as Sasuke stepped to her side. Another good reason to come.

Nice company.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake leaned back against the bookshelf and found herself enjoying the sudden moment of tranquility. The sun started falling in its arc and shined a few warm beams of light over her and the room. The afternoon heat making the library feel remarkably cozy and warm. If Blake was a weaker woman and didn't mind the stereotype, she'd probably curl up into a ball and nap.

However by the looks of it-

"Zzzzzzzz."

Someone was certainly indulging in the lazy atmosphere. Although she wasn't sure how, considering how late he slept in.

Blake lowered her book and sighed before walking over to join him at the table. She took notice of the book he was sleeping on before nodding off. What he wasn't blocking off with his head and arms seemed very detailed and even complex. And the cover was heavy but she couldn't quite make out the title-

"Gaaaaaaaaaaa~."

Uh-oh. He's drooling! He will not get that on the book!

Blake quickly reached over and pulled the book out from under him, effectively stealing his pillow as his head thumped on the tabletop. The bow-wearing girl examined the book, covering it protectively from the sleepy fox. The bandana-wearing fighter raised his head and yawned before rubbing his eyes, "Good noon."

"It's afternoon now."

"Whatever." He stretched out his arms and they shivered a little before falling to the chair's side. Weary blue eyes looked around before he asked his fellow Faunus, "What happened? Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes. The warmth and reading lulled you asleep pretty easily." Naruto grumbled in annoyance and scratched his ear as Blake slid her book away to look at the one she had procured from the blond. She read over the page curiously and noticed the content before flipping over to the title, "_The Social Exploration of How Children Did or Didn't Make Friends_. A book on delving into psychology set in childhood?" Blake looked at him oddly, "I didn't take you as the type to understand the confusing and contradictory thought mechanics of the adolescent."

"I'm not. I thought it was gonna be a book about making friends or whatever. A big, big book about friends." He finally wiped the last of the sleep and fatigue off his face as he faced Blake again, "But there were so many weird terms and concepts I've never even heard of that I started getting lost. And then I felt tired."

"Then why did you keep trying to read it?" Blake begged the question.

"Because I wanted to 'learn something new'." Naruto repeated in his best Blake voice, apparently doing an adequate job because he got a stern pout from the amber-eyed girl. And that just made a cheeky grin and chuckle settle over his features, "Just so you know, this doesn't help the interesting book argument you're trying to build."

Blake glared at him some more before looking back down at the book she had saved. She quietly read over the page before asking, "So why did you pick this book out of all the others?"

"Personal interest." He answered simply.

"Oh?" Blake asked, her interest piqued, "And what might you have staked in reading a book about childhood and making friends?"

"You sound curious~. You ever hear what curiosity did to the cat?"

"Did you ever hear that cats have nine lives?"

"Is that just a wives' tale or have you tested that out?"

"Can we stop with this silly banter before it gets out of hand?"

"Sure. But maybe I got that book out to help you?" Naruto proposed with a shrug of his shoulder, "I gotta be worried for my antisocial friend."

Blake hair bristled a little and she stomped her foot in annoyance before taking a deep breath and calming herself down. She looked his book over and pointed something out from the page, "I'm not antisocial. From what this books says I'm better categorized as being introverted."

Naruto scoffed, "Duh, I coulda told you that. The ninja book should have been your first clue-"

"Introverted!" Blake interrupted, "Not what you're thinking! In-tro-vert!"

"Oh. My bad." Naruto actually seemed sincere and apologized to the girl before tilting his head, "Wait what does that mean?"

"It means I'm someone that feels drained by constant social encounters and attention." Blake explained as she read from the book, "Introverts can feel more energized and willing during solidarity and moments of creative or quiet thinking. Sometimes misconstrued as shyness, social phobias, or antisocial behavior." Blake said with her sharp eyes looking up at the blond as he shied away nervously, "I would be better categorized as an introvert. I doubt I would ever survive on a team with an attention lover like Yang or a glory hog like Weiss if I was totally antisocial."

"Hmmm." Naruto hummed in agreement before he looked off. He seemed deep in thought before asking Blake, "What would I be?"

Blake looked back down, already knowing the answer but better to give the explanation from the book, "You're mostly extroverted." She followed up, "You get more energy by being around others and interacting with them. Makes sense, considering how crushed you seemed to be earlier when you found out they left without you."

"Huh. That's weird." The blond settled back in his seat and noticed the questioning look he got from the reserved girl. His shoulders slumped in thought, "When I was first coming to Beacon, before I met all of you, I was dreading meeting new people. Like I was worried and anxious and didn't think I could talk to anyone and everything. Why's that?"

"Well no one has to be solely put into one category. It's not just one or the other." Blake answered, "This is just an example specialists probably give to parents to help them try and cope with understanding children. But it's more than that. Just look at Ruby."

"Ruby?"

"Yes." Blake nodded while imagining her rambunctious red leader, "You know how flustered and nervous she gets when she's caught off guard or meets someone new. She basically trips over herself and doesn't know how to properly act in new scenarios. But when she's with friends she's like an entirely different girl. She's silly. She's weird. She's social. She wanted to prove she can be strong and diligent and decisive enough to be a leader. Sometimes she's terrified of being focused on, and other times she can thrive when she is. People are complicated like that."

She had a point. Naruto remembered first meeting the short hooded girl, and just how much of an emotional and social mess she was. Hell he actually felt more confident and better about his situation after seeing her worry and befriending her. But now whenever he saw her he could see a confident if shy girl coming out of her shell.

"It's not as easy as claiming someone as one kind of person or another." Blake said as she looked over the page again, "People grow and develop their personalities based on many different factors. Their environment. Their daily lives. The people they talk with. The people they meet. Religion. Education. Parental guidance. Parental neglect. Sibling relationships. Friendly relationships. And most of this can happen when we're just children. A lot can go into how people are molded into adults." Blake looked up from the book and tapped the page, "And how we interact with people and friends as we grow up."

Naruto frowned and slumped a little further into his chair as he seemed reluctant to dive back into the topic. But the boy took a deep breath and just shook his head, "I didn't have any friends growing up. And for the longest time I thought I never would."

Blake closed the book as she realized she didn't need to refer to it anymore, "Why is that?"

"Lots of stuff. We moved around a lot when I was growing up. Parents trying to find good jobs and homes and stuff." Naruto pointed off in the direction of the city, "I was born here in Vale and we lived here for a while but I remember living and growing up in Mistral better. We moved so much that I never really got to stay in one school for more than a few years at most."

"That's especially hard. Moving is tough on kids when they crave stability."

"I got used to it after awhile. It happened so often that I just considered each new house a stop off before we had to go somewhere else again. Never really considered any of them a home." His thoughts went back to that conversation he had with Sasuke about when he started considering Beacon and all the people he had met as a home. A faint smile covered his face before he chuckled, "I used to play a lot with the kids wherever I ended up. We kicked balls and played Hunter and Crook on the playground. Everything...except sometimes parents would come over and pull their kids away from me because...you know."

He looked up and Blake immediately knew he was referring to the top of his head. And she quickly realized what he meant, a frown of anger forming on her face.

Parents pulled their children away from him because he was a Faunus. She spat out, "That's disgusting."

"Didn't happen as often as you'd think, but it did happen." Naruto said without any inflection in his voice as he merely retold his memory to the girl, "I remember kids looking so confused and startled when they got pulled away by the adults. But as I grew older and started going to different schools the kids reacted the same way. Staying away from me and sneering. Like they just started doing the same stuff their parents did like it was natural."

"Prejudice passed down through families and generations. Something else to blame on how people still act like racists and bigots even now." Blake said with disdain as the topic had obviously touched a nerve with her, "Some people don't even hate and discriminate against Faunus for personal reasons. They were just raised and taught to hate." Her face twisted with a grimace, "It's terrible."

Naruto nodded with a somber look on his face before a small smile took its place, "Yeah, but that's all in the past now. There are good people out there. Probably more good than bad if we looked hard enough. And we see some of them everyday."

The anger that had settled over Blake's face slowly dissipated and her shoulders started to relax. Her feelings of fury and disgust slowly mixed with the feeling of joy and relief she had when she was with her team. And the camaraderie she was slowly forming with all her new friends now too. The Faunus girl relented and admitted the truth, "I never had friends either. But unlike you I never really tried to go out and make them myself. I had accepted that I might never make friends. And I found solace in reading books and exploring that imagination. For some time I believed I had someone close and special but soon enough I realized...that wasn't someone I can stay besides anymore. Now I find myself surrounded by people that I never believed I would befriend...I'm reading less and less now..." A small smile came to Blake's face, "And I care less about it while I'm with them."

"My team knows I'm a Faunus. All of them." Blake looked at him in shock as he could only laugh, "I didn't even have to tell them. Tenten figured it out on her own, and Kiba knew from the moment we met. I couldn't even be angry or upset at either of them. Tenten kept quiet waiting for me to tell her myself and Kiba didn't even know I was keeping it a secret." He chuckled dryly before taking the psychology book from Blake and getting out of his chair, "How's that for ironic? So focused on keeping them hidden that our teams might just figure it out on their own."

"I think you might have just been a little too lazy and didn't hide it well enough." Blake responded, a tinge of unease in her voice with the possibility that her team may have discovered her secret by themselves. She doubted it but apparently it could happen, "Kiba's not exactly the sharpest knife so if he could figure it out you might have done something wrong."

"That's rich." Naruto joked while he reached up on his toes to file the book away, "What's that say when he's also already figured you out as a Faunus too?"

"He did what?!" Blake panicked, eyes going wide and jumping out of her seat. She immediately dashed over and pulled on Naruto's shoulder to face him, "Did you say he-"

"No Blake wait I didn't-"

***CRASH***

Several groups around the library turned and the head librarian walked over to see Naruto and Blake standing over a pile of toppled books. His head turned from the tilted bookshelf to the two teens that looked like they were about to embrace each other tightly before the literature avalanche had interrupted. He crossed his arms in annoyance and glared at the duo.

"Umm...it was totally her fault."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby sat on the edge of the sidewalk and just watched her feet paddle and bounce off the asphalt. She blew a raspberry and pouted as the sense of boredom continued to creep up on her. How was this fair? They got to go off and have fun and she had to sit here and wait?! That's not cool at all!

She was a leader now! Yang shouldn't be able to order here around like this so easily! If they didn't get back in the next minute, she was gonna be a real pain in the butt for her big sister for the rest of-

"IYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tenten's frightened scream echoed across the street as the yellow motorcycle came to a screeching halt in front of Ruby.

Oh good they were back.

The hooded girl stood up and walked over to greet her sister and the girl that had her arms tightly wrapped around Yang's stomach for safety. The busty blonde sat up, pulling the googles off her eyes and waving her head around with a content sigh. She ran a hand through her hair, "Oh, felt good to be back on my baby again. Hey sis, how awesome did we look?"

"Don't know." Ruby answered with a frown and expressed crossing of her arms, "You went off the street and left me here. Alone. Like a jerk-face."

"Oh didn't be like that. I was just showing Tenten how fast Bumblebee could go. Can't stretch the rubber if we're just doing laps around the street." She looked back at the girl still clutching onto her for dear life, "Speaking of which what'd you think?"

The helmet Yang had given her had shivered and jumped along with Tenten's chattering jaw. The weapon lover slowly forced herself to let go of the boxer and undo the helmet with shaky hands. Once the helmet clattered on the street Tenten struggled to lift her leg off the motorcycle and onto stationary ground. She steadied herself and gave a weak nod, "I-it was fun. G-gotta do that again some-woah."

Ruby held Tenten up from squashing her and struggled to make sure she didn't fall over. Yang nodded, picking her helmet up and putting it on her head, "Yeah, Ruby was the same way when I first got it. Some people just can't handle the adrenaline. Stay here while I put Bumblebee away and we can head out."

The bike revved and started forward as Yang rounded the corner to store her precious bike in its reserve. When she was out of sight, Tenten let out a nervous whimper and found her footing again, "I see why you passed up taking the first ride with her. Does she realize there are speed limits and other cars around her?"

"We don't think so." Ruby answered with a sad shake of her head as she helped steady the older girl, "And we're too scared to tell her to slow down. Why do you think I run everywhere I go?"

"And I wasn't envious enough about your Speed already." Tenten laughed, standing off the shorter girl and nodding at her assistance, "If we ever have to switch Semblances, I totally call yours."

"Does that mean I can have yours?" Ruby asked excitedly with a big smile, "Because I wanna make armors and weapons and stuff fly out of my hands! That would be so cool."

"It's a deal."

"Next time we come down, we're bringing Weiss and Blake down to try out too!" They spotted Yang making her way back and the girls started heading to the center of the city. They had made plans with the others that around this time they would reconvene, get a late lunch/early dinner, and then head back to Beacon. A nice end to this simple Saturday evening.

Ruby crossed her arms with a childish pout and turned away with a huff from her older sister, "I can't believe you ditched me again to go on a joy ride. I thought you loved me. Well, shows what I know."

Yang groaned, "Of course I love you! You're my baby sister! I asked if you wanted a ride but you said you were alright!" The blonde looked at the shorter girl exhaustively and pointed back the way they came, "Would you have rather run by our side and make it a race? Because even I think that's stupid and dangerous."

"I'm just hurt that you told me to stay out like that." Ruby's pout deepened and she turned further away from Yang, "I could have been attacked. Or mugged!"

"Well considering the last mugging you were a part of ended with you getting accepted into Beacon, I'm not exactly worried for you."

"Ah! How cruel!" Ruby mimicked crying and her bottom lip quivered, "I was abandoned by my dear sister! What will people say?" Ruby then looked back at Yang, "What's Dad gonna think?"

"Oh, so that's what this is about." Yang sighed in defeat and palmed her face as Tenten watched the show with intrigue. How they were performing this cheesy melodrama scene while still walking baffled her. Yang rolled her eyes and huffed before repeating a familiar line in the standard monotone, "What do I have to do to make you keep this quiet?"

Yes! Sibling guilt trip! The perfect way to ensure that she got a tasty treat or sweet gift in return for her absolute silence! Works every time!

Ruby stood back up straight and tapped her chin, "Hmmm, let's see." She thought long and hard about what she wanted to ask of Yang, already knowing it would probably be the biggest dessert at the restaurant they went to but enjoying the growing despair on Yang face. She shrugged, "Well I'm just so traumatized and sad I think the only thing that can ease the pain is-AHHHHH! PUPPY!"

Ruby dashed with a flurry of petals behind her as Yang and Tenten blinked in surprise. They followed the trail and looked over to see Ruby and the rest of their friends standing around something next to the street. Ruby was on her knees, cooing and talking in a silly voice as Nora was lying over it as flat as she could. They got closer to see they were surrounding a...thing?

The massive creature that looked like a dog was panting happily at the love he was getting as Ruby scratched his back all the way up to his ears. They stared at the scene in disbelief before Yang finally spoke, "What. The hell. Is that?"

"Yang! Look! It's a dog!" Ruby hugged the dog's head and nuzzled into his furry neck happily, "He's so warm and cute! And look at his funny face and floppy ears! He's adorable!"

Tenten looked on in confusion before stepping over to her partner's side as he was just as lost as her. She hoped for the best, "So...what's going on?"

"That dog is..." Sasuke sighed, "Akamaru, apparently."

"Akamaru?" The bun-haired girl immediately looked over to their tattooed teammate that watched over the dog with pride, "The Akamaru? The one you kept telling us about back home with the other animals?"

"Yep. This is him." Kiba nodded, "Why do you look so surprised?"

"N-nothing! But when you said you raised a dog and he was your best friend I never thought he'd be so..." Tenten paused, "Well-fed?"

"Well a proper diet and exercise can do that for a dog." Kiba said with a puffed out chest at the the attention his best friend was getting, "He'll be staying with us for a few days!"

"H-he is?"

"Oh. Well..." Pyrrha awkwardly smiled and tried to see the bright side of the situation, "It certainly seems like you all will be having fun for the next few days. And that's nice, right?" The irked glares from Sasuke and Tenten immediately shut the champion up as she looked away in embarrassment.

Jaune seemed torn between stepping away for safety and taking the plunge by petting the beast's mane, "Does he-um-bite?"

"He shouldn't. Not unless I tell him to. Or he feels like it." Kiba just chuckled, "That's really up to him. But I trust his judgement if he thinks someone deserves to get bit."

Oh these next couple of days were looking less and less promising for NKTS.

"Ok. I'm sorry. But this is ridiculous." Weiss finally cracked and shook her head, "That can't be a dog! I-it's too big! I've never seen a pure bred or a mutt ever grow to this size!" The heiress looked around for hope that someone else would see the insanity of this moment, because obviously her partner wasn't, "This creature is something out of a fantasy novel! Something you ride into battle!"

"Funny you mention that." Kiba laughed before whistling, "Akamaru!"

The white dog immediately jumped to its feet, surprising the others with its speed and the fact it effortlessly lifted the two girls on its back. The wild teen smirked and nodded, "Go for a run."

"Ruff!"

Akamaru darted off down the street while the excited cries from Ruby and Nora followed as they braced themselves on his back. The other watched in shock and disbelief as the massive dog sprinted down the street with incredible speed and started leaping over cars and other people with ease. They watched it display amazing agility and mobility before he circled around and sprinted past them and down the other end of the street, the grins and whoops from Nora and Ruby showing just how much fun they were having.

"I started training with him when we were young and we did it all the time until I came to Beacon. Akamaru could kill a few Grimm by himself if he needed to."

"You're...you're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Has his Aura unlocked and everything. Even has a Semblance that works tandem with mine. My best friend."

"You trained a dog to the point where he unlocked his Aura, gained a Semblance, and can fight Grimm and carry people on his back?"

"He usually only carries me but I think he's taken a liking to those two." He whistled again and waved for the big dog to return, "Come back buddy! We're going!"

The dog was sprinting back towards the group of teens and they prepared to step back before he pulled the brakes and stop in front of them while catching his breath. The two girls laughing happily on his back toppled over in heaps on the ground. Nora popped up, "Wooooo! That! Was! Amazing! Kiba, let me do it again!"

"Gotta ask Akamaru."

"Hahahahaha!" Ruby stumbled up to her feet, her hood pulled over her head in a wrinkly mess before she pulled it down to reveal her hair had stuck back from the speed. She grinned, "Yang! I think I got the feeling you get when riding Bumblebee because THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!"

"This is crazy!" Weiss denied in a distraught tone as her arms waved around wildly, "If this animal can do all of those things then that just proves that it's less likely to actually be a dog! I mean what on Remnant-eep!"

The heiress squealed when the animal in question had shuffled over to her and plopped down on its butt looking directly up at her. The ivory-haired girl was so caught off guard that she looked to her friends for assistance before spotting Kiba's smirking face, "Looks like he's telling you to try him out yourself. Go ahead. Pet him and see if he's not a dog."

"I-I'm not going to-" Weiss frowned, looking between all of hem and the dog that stared up at her expectantly as she started fuming. She relented, "Fine! I'll do it! I am so suing all of you if this goes horribly!"

Weiss gulped and slowly raised a hand towards Akamaru, the dog leaning back at the quick speed her hand was making towards him. She slowed down and proceeded forward cautiously before stopping just a few inches from contact.

Weiss seemed like she could start sweating at any moment while she started to fidget. Her voice cracked in a nervous squeak, "H-he's not going to bite me, right?"

"Told you that wasn't up to me."

"W-what about shots? He's had his shots?"

"He's clean. You're good."

"Y-you said he came by mail. What if he has fleas or a dog flu or some kind of-"

"Less stalling. More nutting up."

"Fine!"

Weiss took the plunge and reached forward as her hand landed on Akamaru's head, between his ears. She had scrunched her eyes closed in fearful anticipation before she realized nothing bad had happened. She slowly opened her eyes to see Akamaru's ears had pumped up in wait for her to continue before he innocently titled his head.

She pet him and his tail begun to wag. She continued scratching his ears and the big dog leaned into her hands for more love.

Weiss started scratching the dog's head affectionately as she had quickly become engrossed in petting him. The others watched with amusement as the most reluctant and coldest member of their group had fallen prey to her base instincts of pampering dogs.

Ruby smiled and leaned towards her sister, "I think she likes him."

Yang grinned, "And thus the icy heart melts."

While the sisters giggled, Tenten leaned towards her partner with worry, "Um...how do you think Naruto's gonna handle this?"

"Knowing him...not very well."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto frowned, "Just so you know, I blame you for this."

Blake rebuked, "This isn't my fault. You were the one that grabbed the whole shelf and tipped it over."

"And I grabbed it because I thought you were gonna pull me off my feet or something. It was a reflex. What you did was on purpose."

"You want to talk about doing stuff on purpose? You were pretty quick to shift the blame to me when the librarian came over."

"Well a fat lot of good that did me." He finished off the pile before reaching down and started stacking back another collection of books they had toppled over, "Can't believe we have to stack these books back up. Shouldn't that already be someone's job here?"

"Maybe. But they forced it on us."

"We've been doing this for an hour! Everyone left already!" Naruto complained, slamming a book into his forehead as he bemoaned, "And I still don't get this crazy filing system they use to sort these books out! These numbers go with these letters and-"

"You do know it's just arranging them alphabetically, right?" Blake deadpanned with a dry stare up at her companion.

"..." Naruto looked over the books again and frowned, "Dammit. Shut up."

Blake scrunched up her face and decided to do just that, stay quiet and finish the job. The sooner they were done, the sooner she could get back to her room and forget this whole mess.

The two remained silent for a few minutes as they just focused on the task at hand. Blake fumed a little and found herself split between which action she wanted to take next. She wanted to remain silent and let Naruto wallow in the fact that this was his fault and they were paying for it. That may have been childish and even petulant but dammit everyone deserved their time to act like a brat, her included! But what she needed to do more than anything, was approach the topic again to clarify what he said.

"How? How did he know I was a Faunus?"

Naruto was quiet when he heard her question before he realized she was picking up their conversation from before. His feelings of annoyance at their forced task quickly transitioned into a subtle worry that he might tick off the girl with his answer. He spoke calmly, "Kiba just knew."

"But how?" Yep, there was bite in her voice. But it was understandable considering she had just found out someone knew her secret and he just 'knew' for some reason.

"His Semblance." Naruto explained, "Apparently when it's activated, he can sense different smells between humans and Faunus. During initiation, he had it activated almost the entire time, so it was pretty easy for him to notice we smelled different compared to everyone else. That's how he knew."

Her smell? She had trained in subterfuge and infiltration for years. She had cut off all ties with her past so that she would never get found out. She spent almost all of her time remaining out of peoples' focus and made sure never to draw attention to herself. But she got found out...because she smelled different?

She wasn't going to have to cover herself in perfume like Weiss or cookie crumbs like Ruby to hide now, would she?

Blake furrowed her eyes in thought before she continued lining the books, "I think I'll have to talk to him myself."

"No. It's okay." Naruto looked over at the girl that refused to look away from the row directly in front of her. He attempted to ease her worry, "I made him promise to keep your secret. He won't tell a soul."

"That's nice but I find it hard to take that to heart considering he told your secret so easily."

"He told my secret because he didn't know it was a secret. He just thought I wore the bandana for fashion or something. He probably thought the same about your bow." She still didn't seem convinced and on edge about the whole thing, "Blake, look at me."

She gave a heavy sigh before her amber eyes turned to regard him. Naruto looked squarely at her and spoke in a firm voice, "If you won't trust him then at least trust me. I promise we won't say anything to anyone about your secret. Not a soul. I promise. So trust me, okay?"

Could she trust him? That was a question she had some difficulty answering. By normal standards she wouldn't, always being very careful about those she trusted. She had only just started trusting her teammates and she spent nearly every waking moment with at least one of them everyday. And even then she made painstakingly sure that she was comfortable with them before she eased into it. While Naruto was just the leader from another team who until recently she had at most shared several sentences with in passing. So by that logic, no, she shouldn't trust him.

But that was until recently. Recently, she had snuck off to check on him after his incident fighting Cardin, and walked in to see him drying off his pair of hidden ears. But she already knew he was a Faunus, and in return he clarified that he knew she was one too. After that they had taken their time heading back to class and started dipping into discussions she hadn't ever planned to engage with anyone here. And oddly enough...she started some of them. Talking about their teams, their Semblances, and even alluding to why they had their features hidden in the first place.

He even offered to listen to why she wore her bow in the first place if she wanted to take it off. Which was still an idea she wasn't going to entertain but it was an unexpected and surprisingly nice gesture.

Somehow, in the few times they had talked, Blake had become comfortable speaking with him and divulged more than she had with her own team. So, despite her unease...

"I'll trust you." She finally answered, seeing a small smile grow on the blond's face. She turned back to the shelf and continued her job while quietly saying, "Don't let me down."

Naruto smiled, knowing he had received some modicum of respect and trust from the black-haired girl. His eyes stayed on her for a moment longer, trailing up to her head and landing on the bow that concealed her ears from the world. He thought about his own ears before asking, "Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?"

"Tying them in the bow? Does it hurt?" Naruto reached up and patted his bandana, "When I first started with the bandana, my ears got really itchy lying on my hair. It got easier after a while but they still itch sometimes. What about you?"

Blake hesitated and felt her ears twitch and move her bow on reflex, "It did at first. My ears feel constrained sometimes and they get stiff staying so still. But I've grown accustomed to it now." She sometimes wish she didn't have to but this was the decision she made. She had to live with the side-effects. She looked down at the books in her hands, "We're lucky, having to do so little to hide our features. Some people aren't that fortunate."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's difficult to hide tails and large ears." Blake clarified, "I doubt Velvet would have an easy time concealing her ears unless she had a very large hat. But even then, hiding Faunus features today is easier than it was in the past. When the humans and Faunus were more harshly segregated, the humans went to great lengths to keep Faunus out of their borders. So in order to find sanctuary in their walls, Faunus went to extreme measures to fit in."

"How extreme?"

"They would cut off their ears. Or cut off their tails so no one would see them. Pull out their claws and nails so they wouldn't come out on reflex. Pluck out their feathers so no one would see. File down their horns to the base underneath their hair." Blake's hands tensed around the book she held as Naruto paled in horror at the idea of doing that to yourself willingly, "And even then it wasn't enough. Despite torturing themselves and defacing themselves permanently to try and fit in, some Faunus were still thrown out and ostracized. Even if they looked the same, humans still regarded us a lesser. Thinking about it just..."

Naruto could tell how much she was trying to hold back her rage as her hands started to shake with the book in her hands. Without thinking he reached out and held her shoulder, causing her trembling to stop as she looked at the hand and trailed up to its owner. He quickly pulled it back before it became too awkward but noticed that her anger had faded with a small nod of thanks from her as well.

"And even though Faunus don't resort to those methods anymore, that same discrimination still happens frequently."

"But not as often." Naruto countered, "Faunus have been treated more fairly over the last few years, publicly and privately."

"But it still happens. What happened with Cardin and Velvet is a perfect example."

"And that stopped. Cardin doesn't harass her anymore. Hell, I haven't seen him pick on anyone recently at all."

"Good for him, but what about the thousands of people just like him all over Remnant that still bully Faunus for being Faunus?"

"They can go to hell. But I bet there are more people out there that would consider Faunus as normal people now than as second-class citizens."

Blake huffed, "What about the Faunus employed by the Schnee Dust Company? Do you believe those work conditions are fair between everyone that works there?" Naruto was silenced by that opinion as he shook his head, "See. You can't say there still isn't discrimination when injustice like that is still prevalent."

"I'm not saying there isn't, I'm saying it's gotten better over the years." The whiskered boy tried to rationalize, "The mining job conditions suck but there are plenty of other people who get great jobs around Remnant. I've seen dozens of Faunus have jobs in ownership and management in Vale alone. And what about all the ones that are Hunters?"

"The general populace don't have the skills to pursue a life as Huntsmen or Huntresses." Blake countered, "They wouldn't be able to find a stable lifestyle or provide for themselves like Hunters would."

"But those Hunters are the ones that can change peoples' views and inspire them." Naruto spoke hopefully with a mirthless chuckle, "There are always gonna be some of those assholes that stick to their views and hate us, but we can still trust open people to have our backs and inspire new generations to believe in equality. That's what's been happening these last few years! Things have been getting better!"

"The only reason things have been getting better is because people are afraid of the White-"

...

Blake caught herself before she finished that sentence, but the message had clearly been delivered. Naruto looked stunned by what Blake had said as the girl lowered her head in shame to avoid meeting his eyes. She didn't want to bring that up. It was extremely inappropriate. Not to mention just plain childish and wrong. She had gotten worked up and immediately said the point that came to her mind before she could properly think it over.

Although no matter how inappropriate that defense may have been...it was right.

The discrimination and racism against the Faunus had certainly quieted over recent years, but not because people were looking at them as equals. People were afraid of earning the focus and scorn of the White Fang in retaliation for their prejudice. That's why publicly Faunus were treated better, but privately they would still be treated badly.

If you earned too much attention for your wrongdoings, you earned the hatred of the most infamous Faunus rights group in Remnant.

The SDC was a perfect example. They continued to give Faunus less than hospitable wages and conditions, and had to pay the price. Before it was just their shipments disappearing and their meetings being delayed by threats. Now there were open attacks, and if you were caught by the White Fang and they believed you were guilty...

It was hard to think about.

The girl raised her head a little and looked in the corner of her eye to see the expression on her fellow Faunus' face. The White Fang was a bit of a divisive subject among Faunus. She wanted to know if she may have hit a sore subject with him and stopped their conversation altogether. But she didn't want that now, she wanted to keep talking and mend this problem. She hesitated, worrying about the repercussion this might cause, before she asked almost in a whisper, "What do you think about them? The White Fang?"

Naruto slid a novel into place before he just remained still and looked straight ahead. Blake believed she might have said something to push him over the edge before he moved again when his hand slipped down and stayed at his side. The blond shook his head, "I wish I could have met them a few years back. Before everything happened."

Blake blinked in honest surprise, "What do you mean?"

"I mean back during the peaceful protesting days. When they led rallies and they brought people together to promote equality. When all they needed were signs and good speeches to convince people." Naruto scoffed and smiled, "If I was smarter kid or if I paid more attention when I was younger I probably would have gone out and joined them in one of those things. I think what they did back then was the right thing to do. But now..."

"Now what?"

"I hate it." Naruto forcefully pushed the last of the books in their place before he stomped over to the table. He leaned on its side and crossed his arms in anger, "All the fear. All the despair. The horror they cause and the stuff reported on TV, it's worse than the Grimm! They're doing it on purpose!" He grit his teeth in anger and looked up at the girl that had turned back to him, "Velvet says she couldn't fight back against Cardin because she was worried people might think she was a White Fang supporter by doing so. For a group that's supposed to be leading the rights revolution of Faunus, all they seem to be doing is scaring humans and Faunus together."

"But they're trying to do the right thing." Blake defended, faster than she ever should have with the topic, "They were aiming for a noble goal. Peaceful protests and kind speeches could only go so far, but sometimes actions have to be taken." Blake face mixed with trepidation and anxiety, "Even if their methods are a little extreme, they just seem misguided."

"Even if the majority of them are misguided, the ones that guide them and tell them to do these things are totally aware of what they're doing. They're just angry and hateful and evil and horrible people that just want to do these things for retaliation." Naruto seethed before he let out a heavy sigh and gripped the edges of the table as tightly as possible. His angry scowl softened into a sad look as he hung his head, "And even if they believe they're doing something right - doing the right thing or a selfless act - if they're hurting other people to do it..." Naruto's shoulders fell and shook his head, "Then they're wrong. And they have to live with that."

"Do you really think that?"

"Yes. I really do."

Blake looked around as the heavy silence fell between them. There were other circumstances. Complicated matters. Things he probably didn't know and couldn't possibly know without being there. There were more pieces to this problem than what was just reported or talked about on TV...but somewhere deep down Blake felt something worm around inside her. What she believed and what he said both had credence. But in the end she knew...

...

"I don't know when I was going to tell them. I don't know if I was ever going to tell them." Naruto confessed to the cat with a heavy, sober tone to his voice, Blake coming out of her thoughts to give him her attention. He continued, "I kept convincing myself that I would tell them someday - the next day even - but then I'd keep finding a reason to put it off. Too much work today. Too tired. They wouldn't be able to understand today. But I just kept pushing it off because I was scared." He shook his head, "I thought I was lucky that they trusted me after we revealed we used to work for Wilsk. I thought that was a one time thing. If I revealed that I was a Faunus and I was lying to them about everything, that that would be the last straw. It wasn't just about the fact that they might not like Faunus, but maybe they wouldn't be able to trust me anymore after I already tested their limit once. But when they told me they knew...that they figured out..."

A relieved smile came over his face and a small laugh followed, "Blake it felt like something had come off my shoulders. I was scared and angry and exhausted when they said it but when it was done I was happy. I was relieved they knew. They didn't care. They didn't see me as a thief or a Faunus." He smiled fondly and looked up at the girl, "They saw me as Naruto. For probably the first time in my whole life I had met people that just saw me. That's what I believe can happen for the rest of the world. For the possibility of other people. It wouldn't be easy but hey, we can hope."

Understanding. Empathy. Looking past the differences on the outside to see the individual within. That's everything she could ask for from a group of people. Everything she ever wanted. Everything she could ever hope for her team to one day achieve. But they would never be able to achieve it...as long as she never revealed the truth to her team.

"I freeze whenever I think about it." Blake admitted in shame as she leaned against the shelf and gripped her arm for support, "I wore this bow in the first place because I wanted people to see me for who I am, not what I am. They could like me. They could hate me. I wouldn't care, as long as they made that decision based off of their impression of me. But being with RWBY after all this time, I think they know me for everything I have to offer at this point. And the only logical step to do next to prove that I trust them would be to tell them what I really am." She shook her head and looked off, "But when I think about their reaction-"

"You know Ruby and Yang." Naruto offered, "They wouldn't care. Ruby already loves you as much as possible. And I'm pretty sure all that would happen with Yang is that she'd make some crappy pun and just move on. The only hiccup would probably be-"

"Weiss." Blake finished, "After everything she's been exposed to. The conditions of Faunus she's been privy to since she was a child and the horrible things she's heard about the White Fang attacking subsidiaries of the SDC. I wouldn't be surprised if she would never talk to me again if I reveal myself to her."

"But you said you thought she was your friend. You could trust her. If you just take some time and sit down with her-"

"But that's not all. It's not just how she might react that I'm afraid of." Blake said sadly while her amber eyes locked into the blue ones across from her, "What if I do something wrong? What if she accepts that I'm a Faunus but I'd do something vindictive o-or foolish? That I would just prove everything she might think bad about Faunus are true? That after everything I said about wanting to help bridge relations between humans and Faunus, I just somehow ruin it by doing something petty and stupid." She gripped her arm as tightly as possible, "I prove I'm no different..."

"Take it from someone that overthinks a lot of things he'd screw up..." Naruto gave her an easy smile and shrugged, "You're worrying too much."

"I want to tell them everything, but can't summon the nerve to take the chance because I'm overthinking it." Blake sighed and shook her head, "Same problem I always have. I suppose if I want to take the next step...I'll just have to make a decision and take that leap when I think it's best. Right?"

"Yeah."

...

Blake noticed the color of the library had changed to burnt orange and looked out the window above to see the sky had turned red, "It's almost evening."

"Oh shit, we've been here all day." Naruto laughed and stood off the table. He scratched his head, "Didn't we come here to find me a book?"

Blake shrugged, "We lost track of time. I think we strayed away from finding you a book after the first hour." She smiled and leaned off the bookshelf as well, "And I didn't exactly follow through on my promise to find you something to read from my personal choice. So I'll take responsibility for that."

"That's cool. Wasn't as bad a way to spend a free day as I thought. It was almost kind of fun?"

Blake nodded, "I suppose 'almost kind of fun' would be the best way to explain it."

Naruto smiled and made his way towards the aisles to leave before he turned back to Blake, "You know, I think you will find the right time to tell the others who you are." He laughed, "And I'll bet it will be better than before. Just wait."

Blake watched him walk off as she lingered around the library for a moment. The cat Faunus rubbed her eyes and gave a heavy sigh before grabbing her book. She looked around at the rows and rows of books before making her way back to her room.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto yawned as he opened his door and walked in to hear his teammates laughing between each other. He closed the door and got their full attention as they cheered, "Naruto!"

"There you are! Hey sleepyhead!"

"How was your day?"

The blond had nothing to offer his closest friends but an angry frown. He growled out through his teeth, "Hey guys~." The sarcasm and venom sticking behind his words, "How was your day? You guys have fun?"

Kiba sat on his bed and grinned, "Absolutely."

"I had fun." Tenten agreed.

The Uchiha nodded, "It wasn't bad."

"Well doesn't that sound nice!" The whiskered boy snarled, "Well while you guys went off and had fun, guess what I did? I hung out in a library! For the whole day! Because you guys didn't wake me up to join you!" He accused them with a pointed finger, "Shame on all of you."

"Hey, we tried to wake you up." The only female of NKTS defended their stance, "But you would not budge. So the next time you wanna join us, get some more rest so you can wake up on time."

Naruto's frown deepened before he slumped over, "Fine. Well unsurprisingly, being in the library made me tired so until you guys wanna do something I'm gonna relax a-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

"Ruff!"

"That's Akamaru." Kiba answered, "Akamaru, this is Naruto. Say hi."

"Bark!"

"What the hell is it doing here?!" The Naruto, the others taking close notice of the fact that he had lowered himself into a grappling stance as if preparing to fight and tackle the dog at any moment. Instinct seemed to have taken charge of Naruto's movement while the dog just happily sat on the bed with a soft wag of his tail.

"My sister sent him over to stay with us for a few days. He's just gonna stay here for a while before we send him back to the shelter." Kiba just smirked and looked between his partners knowingly, "Get along you two."

"Why the hell is it on my bed?!"

"I think he liked your smell and got comfortable lying on top of it while we waited for you."

"And why is she here?!"

"Comfy~."

"Yeah, Ruby wouldn't let him go."

Naruto clenched his teeth so hard he though he was gonna crack something. He slowly edged forward, making sure the dog wasn't alarmed or startled by any sudden movement before he started poking the girl that was lying on top of it, "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Naruto~." She dreamily moaned, "He's like a big, fluffy pillow. I wanna take a nap on him."

"Ugh." He groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Ruby, go back to your room."

"I can't right now. I'm at sleepy-time junction."

Naruto rolled his eyes and just grabbed the girl by the back of her hood. He effortlessly lifted her off the dog and carried her to the door like a kitten held by the nape of its neck. He gently tossed her out the door and closed it behind him as he heard her moan sadly on the other side, "Awwwwww~."

"Now, as for you." He marched up to his bed and bent down to meet the massive canine face-to-face. He threatened with a growl, "Get off my bed."

Akamaru simply tilted his head and kept wagging his tail.

"Off my bed!"

The dog leaned in a little closer and sniffed his face.

"Get off my goddamn bed!"

A lick to the cheek.

...

"So...it's gonna be like that, huh, you stupid mutt?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby closed the door behind her with a sad slump of her shoulders as she dragged her feet over to her bed. Weiss noticed her leader's return and lack of energy, "What happened to you?"

"All the best stuff has to end." She said sadly as she jumped up into the top bunk and let it sway before settling.

Yang asked from overhead with a curious tone in her bubbly voice, "So Blake~, how was your day? How soon was it until you started missing us and wished you tagged along? One minute? Two?"

"Neither." She sharply replied in an effort to stop the blonde's prying, "I was in the library all afternoon."

She heard a long, strained groan above her before it became muffled by a pillow to stop Yang from screaming. She just chose to ignore it and finally go back to enjoying her book. Weiss stood up and walked over to the desk before she asked, "So what did you do in the library? Make any breakthroughs in finding out how we can assist our two dead weights in learning something?"

"Hey!"

"No, actually." Blake drawled and lowered her story, "I went to the library but I was...preoccupied with something else?"

"Really?" The heiress turned in her seat, "Then what did you do?"

"I'm pretty sure I just wasted an afternoon failing to do what I said I'd..."

...

Oh.

Blake slipped off her bed and made her way over to her extensive collection of books. She scanned the rows in search of one title in particular.

"Um, Blake?"

Found it.

She pulled it out with a satisfied smile and started walking out, "I'll be back in a minute."

Blake didn't wait for a reply as she strolled out of her room and headed right next door. She rapped her knuckles against the wood and waited for someone to open the door. Fortunately the person that opened it was exactly the one she wanted to talk to.

"What?"

But the vicious growl and grimy, almost shiny sheen of something on his cheeks seemed to greet her. She blinked in surprise, "What happened to you? You weren't this irritable a few moments ago."

"Ugh." He wiped his face and mumbled into his hands, "A few moments ago I didn't know I was going to have to share my room and maybe my bed with a flea-ridden little mongrel!"

Kiba: "He doesn't have fleas!"

Sasuke: "And he is in no way little!"

"What are you-"

"Ruff!"

Blake went rigid as her whole body froze on instinct. Fear and dread gripped every fiber of her being as she felt the overwhelming need to bolt and hide. The slobbery cheek. The undeniable stench in the air. The barking.

No. It wasn't-

And with a loud thump, she saw a massive white animal come around Naruto's waist to see who was standing at the door. The horrible beast titled its head and made his floppy ears wave with it before it barked at their new visitor, "Ruff!"

Holy-

"Nope!" Naruto pushed her away and closed the door behind him before the large canine could push past to sniff his fellow Faunus. He breathed a sigh of relief before looking the black-clad girl over to see she was still pretty shook up, "You gonna be okay?"

"I-I should be." Blake instinctively reached up and fixed her hair like it was messy to detract from the fact she froze in fear. She felt her throat fry up and asked, "What was that thing and why was it so big?"

"That's Kiba's stupid dog and I don't know why he's big." Naruto said, his tone short and the frown on his face deepening as he threw a thumb over his shoulder, "He's apparently gonna be staying in our room for a few days and he's gotten comfortable with sitting on my bed!"

Blake calmed her nerves and noticed the disdain in Naruto's voice, "I'm guessing you don't have a good relationship with dogs either?"

"They're always sniffing me and barking. They grab my food and lick me and some even chase me around a little for shits and giggles! I really don't like them." Naruto groaned before he sighed and looked back at her, "So what's up?"

She handed him a thick green hardback book that he quickly accepted. He looked it over, "_Tales of The Hood_? What's this?"

"My recommendation." Blake answered as he opened it and started skimming through the pages, "A story about a man that was isolated from society for a number of years before being reintroduced to it. He takes it upon himself to try and save people and his city by fighting them at night. It's a series, added on every year or so. It's fiction, set in a world without Semblances or Grimm but still has trouble from people. I certainly enjoy it. Redemption. Morality-"

"600 pages?!" Naruto gasped and looked at the girl skeptically, "Are you crazy? I read ten pages today and dropped dead immediately after. How am I supposed to do this?"

"Try harder?" She unenthusiastically offered as the fox grumbled and flipped through the book. She spoke, "You know, you said that if I couldn't find you a book that you might like, you'd boast that you were right about reading being boring. But if I find you a book and you can't even take the time to try and read it, what's that say about you?" A cheeky, small smile grew on her face as Blake joked, "Is reading that much of a challenge for you?"

"Oh, you wanna play it like that?" He grinned, "Okay. 600 pages? Easy."

"Wonderful." She gave him a stern glare and pointed at the book, "Don't rip the pages. Don't fold the corners. That's my book. If you do something to it, I'll come down on you like hellfire. And don't let that thing get his slobbery drool all over it either, got it?"

"Got it."

"Good." Blake started stepping off back to her room before stopping and turning back, "Naruto." He looked up from the book as she nodded to him with a smile, "Thanks for making today almost kind of fun." He smiled and nodded in return before he headed back into his room. Blake turned back towards hers...

In time to see her teammates' heads sticking out of the door before popping back in before she noticed. Or at least Ruby and Weiss did in an attempt to respect her privacy. Yang kept watching and even poked out a little more to display the big grin spreading over her face.

Oh fantastic. Now she had to deal with this.

"So~, what were you and Naruto talking about?" Yang asked as Blake slipped in and made her way to the bed, "Something interesting I hope."

"Not really. Just suggested a book for him to read."

"Well that's nice." Weiss added as she tried to act preoccupied by something on the desk. But her interest was clearly split as she pried, "I wasn't aware you two were on good enough terms to speak regularly."

"Not as regularly as you'd think." She deadpanned as she sat and focused on her book again, "Just a few times."

"Aww, Blake, that's really nice!" Ruby had cheered up and was hanging over the edge of her bunk to talk with them, "So what kinda book did you give him? Was it a romance?"

"Did you convince him to open a dictionary?"

"Or was it 'romance'?" Yang stretched out with a grin, "You know, the fun kind~."

"Adventure book. He's gonna read it and see what he thinks. That's all. Can we drop this now?"

A finger pushed down on the top of Blake's book and she found all three members of her team standing on the other side with intrigued and curious expressions. Her partner shook her head with the biggest shit-eating grin she'd ever seen, "Oh Blake, you don't get out of this that easily."

And all she wanted to do today was get comfortable and read. She already knew it, but this definitely affirmed her thought. This was all Naruto's fault.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Shotgun this arc out over the month. Hope you enjoy.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	34. Where We Come From

Hunting or Bust

Dust 29: Where We Come From

Pay money for those that get the pun with Tenten's dad's name.

Not actually but have fun.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ozpin stood at the arrival platform of Vale's travel center and waited for his guest to arrive. The Beacon headmaster tapped his finger rhythmically on his cane and patiently waited for the vehicle to arrive.

...

Really getting quite bored here actually.

...

Sort of regretting not bringing a Scroll to at least do some work on. Or goof around on an app at the very least.

His prayers were answered as an Airship came flying in and docked on the end of the bay. The engines started to slow down and the wings folded back before he heard a powerful mechanical hiss. The batch opened up and dozens of people started to flood out to make their way to the city. Several people noticed him and gave him polite and quick greetings that he returned in kind. Soon enough most of the people had filtered out until one last person made their way off the aircraft.

Ozpin smiled and stepped forward to greet them, "I'm glad you could make it."

"Glad I made it too. I forgot how long a trip this was. Wow...Vale...it's really-"

"Hasn't changed much since you were here, correct?"

"Actually, would it sound weird if I admit that it sorta looks smaller?"

Ozpin blinked in silence and turned to look back at the massive city that filled their line of sight. He turned back and answered with the same simple tone, "Yes. Yes it would sound weird."

"Figured as much. So, what are we in for?"

"Well we can take some time to travel around the city and show you where you'd stay. Or we can take a stroll around the campus and you can see everything that's changed since you were last here. The upgraded fighting arena. The renovated halls and cafeteria. The occasional assortment of desks that somehow found themselves piled up on the roof of the dorms."

"Desks? That's...quite unusual."

"Indeed." Ozpin held his cane behind him and nodded, "So, what shall we do first?"

"Actually, I wanna wait on the tour for a little bit. I'd like to hash out this job offer you talked about first. And once that's done...I'll focus on everything else. Oh, also, I'd like some recommendations of places to eat around here if you don't mind."

"Very well. Let's get to work. Oh...and welcome back."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blades scratched against the length of the tonfa as the two combatants locked weapons in the middle of the stage. Ren took a sharp breath of air and tried to get some ground against his opponent, although it was fruitless in the end.

Kiba grit his teeth and smirked as he started pushing against Ren's defense, gaining ground as the slimmer boy's stance shifted back. Kiba was about to knock him down before he felt two swift kicks strike his ribs and distract him. The tattooed boy's defense faltered and Ren took this chance to knock his arms aside to attack.

Ren's swipes and flurries were countered and blocked by Kiba's quick spin of the tonfa. The two fighters tried to gain the advantage over the other but they were locked in a flurry of steel. Their weapons scraped and Ren's vision was blocked by the red and black spiral of Kiba's weapons. The pink-eyed boy had to weave and dodge desperately from the quick attacks from the more aggressive teen.

Kiba made a wide hook to hit Ren's temple, but the JNPR boy quickly reacted and crossed his arm with Kiba as their arms locked around the elbow. Ren punched him repeatedly in the ribs and staggered his balance enough that the martial artist could get some leverage. He grabbed the rest of Kiba's arm and flipped him over fast enough that he became a green blur. The Inuzaka boy landed in a dazed state on his feet and stumbled back before Ren dashed in and dug a side-kick into his stomach.

Kiba was knocked back and rolled over the floor before he stopped on his hands and knees. He whipped his head up in time to see Ren had him in his sights with _StormFlower_ at the ready. He immediately reacted, dashing into a sprint along the circumference of the combat stage as Ren's gunfire trailed after him. The deafening sound of rapid fire did nothing to deter the tattooed teen as he quickly raised his tonfa and unleashed his own rain of bullets. The boy in the green dress quickly jumped aside and Kiba took that chance to veer over and charge for the win.

Even with Kiba charging, Ren merely calmed his breathing and lowered himself into a fighting stance. He concentrated, feeling his remaining Aura flare and cover his entire body in a protective glow. His eyes popped open and he dashed forward, meeting Kiba halfway as the brunette slid to a stop in surprise. Ren's hands blurred as his emerald guns struck Kiba over each cheek. He slammed an elbow into the other boy's chin to stagger him before a palm strike snapped out and blew Kiba away.

But the NKTS fighter flipped through the air and landed while he skid across the stage before stopping. He ignored the pain in his stomach and glared up at Ren, his hair and teeth becoming sharper as his Semblance activated in full. He gripped his tonfa tightly and dashed across the stage, crossing the distance between them in a few seconds. Ren saw him charging forward and raised his pistols up to fire. A spray of bullets flew out and Kiba merely took them head-on as he reeled his fist back.

"HA!"

Kiba's fist came into Ren's cheek and slammed him down into the floor. The moment the black-haired boy was floored, a loud tone rang out through the amphitheater as the lights came back on. Kiba stood up and took a breath as his features returned to normal and his Semblance deactivated. He looked up at the overhead screens and saw his Aura bar had dipped into yellow while Ren's had fallen into red.

He heard a moan and saw Ren sitting up and rubbing his cheek gingerly. The boy with the pink highlight looked up at Kiba and sighed before holding out his hand for assistance. He dryly joked with a lithe smile, "Did you really have to charge in with your Semblance? You don't think that might have been partially overkill?"

"You have only yourself to blame. How else was I gonna win against your crazy moves besides going all out?" Kiba returned, grabbing his friend's hand and pulling him up with a grin. The attempt to encourage his friend seemed to have fallen flat because Ren just answered him with a bored stare, "Hey you're the one that hit me with that palm thing. I just thought I'd hit you back and get even."

"No Ren, what did you do?!" Nora exclaimed from the seats as she gripped her hair in disappointment. She watched the two make their way off stage, "You should have swept the leg! Swept the leg!"

"I thought Nora was friends with Kiba?"

"She is." Pyrrha clarified and tried not to get the attention of the girl in question, "If that was anyone else fighting Ren, she would have been telling him to break their kneecaps."

"Oh, well that makes sense I guess."

"Very good gentlemen, very impressive showing from both of you." Glynda stood in the middle of the stage and looked up to the class while holding her Scroll to her chest. She seemed to size up the present students as the room went still with an eerie silence. The powerful Huntress fixed her glasses over her nose and stepped forward, "I will be releasing you from class just a bit early today, but first I wish to say something to you all."

The attention from everyone in the amphitheater focused on their teacher as she looked around at all of them, "Now I'm not sure if all of you have realized it or not, but I should point out that there is less than a month left of the first semester." As expected, a quiet round of murmuring and cheers immediately followed as the students reveled in the fact that they had nearly completed their first big hurdle to becoming Hunters. Glynda allowed her students to take a moment and congratulate themselves before continuing.

She coughed in her hand, garnering their attention once more, "Now while you still have quite a few things to do before this semester concludes, and by no means should you become complacent and lazy, I still wish to acknowledge and congratulate you on your hard work so far. And I want to warn you that as hard as these first few months have been, it will be child's play compared to the semesters that follow. Over the next few months you will be taking classes and living with other students from around Remnant, as well as taking your very first mission. We expect a lot from you being able to reach this far, and we hope to see more from you in the future."

The students reactions varied, from smiles to somber nods as their thoughts drifted to what they would expect. She continued, "However, I would like all of you to take the time to see how far you've come...and give thanks to those that have helped you along the way. Your friends. Your teams. And your families. Remember that although you've been able to make it this far, by no means could you have done it alone. You are dismissed."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"C'mon Akamaru, fetch! Fetch!" Nora yelled joyfully as she threw a stick across the empty field and waited for the massive white canine to chase after it. However the large dog made no effort to chase after the stick as her shoulders slumped in disappointment, "Oh, come on! It's a stick! They're the most fun thing a dog can chase!"

Akamaru simply titled his head in bewilderment as Nora frowned. She grabbed him by the collar and attempted to pull him up but her efforts were futile as he was firmly planted in the ground. How was he so hard to move?! He was like a statue! And she totally knew she could move a statue if she tried! She slid on her butt after she had failed to nudge him at all and frowned up at the dog, "What's with you buddy? Why don't you wanna play fetch?"

The hammer wielder merely received a lick to her nose and a quick bark as an answer.

"Fine! Let me show you how we play fetch!" Nora jumped to her feet and dashed before coming back with the stick in hand. She waved it in front of him as the dog watched its movement closely, "See! You see! One of us throws it, and the other catches! That's how we play! Ready?"

Akamaru merely opened his mouth and chomped down on the stick to take it from her hands. Nora stood there with a blank stare as Akamaru paused. He reeled back before snapping forward and letting the wooden stick fly out of his mouth and towards another group of students walking by.

An orange and pink blur chased after the flying stick without a moment's hesitation. The other students saw the 5'1" freight train coming their way and dove out as the powerful girl jumped. She caught it in her arms and fell into a rolling heap in the dirt. She popped back up on her feet and held the stick up gleefully, "I did it!"

"Well...that's different. As is this." Kiba noted, looking away from the sight of his dog playing catch with the spastic girl to address the much more interesting and unusual occurrence besides him, "You know I thought I would see you do a lot of weird and unusual crap over the time we're teamed up, but seeing you actually read a book by choice is definitely not something I ever expected to see."

"Shut up." His partner and leader hissed out as his eyes were firmly glued on the pages of the green book. As he had usually been doing over the last week or so when they had any free time. Kiba wasn't the only one that continued to make comments as most of his teammates and friends and even people in passing had noticed his 100% increase in reading recently. Velvet looked absolutely shocked when she noticed him reading before History and came over to say how proud she was. Even Oobleck and Port were suspicious that he was hiding answers or sleeping behind the book when they weren't talking.

What could he say? He really wanted to be right and see the pout on Blake's face when he started gloating...but he knew when he was beat. This was a pretty cool book.

"What do you think about this?"

The brunette asked Ren sitting in the shade of a tree with them as he supervised Nora to make sure she didn't get into trouble. The boy in the elegant green garbs spared a look over to Naruto who decided to try and ignore them entirely. He had to admit that he was partially surprised to see the boy indulge in a book when it wasn't required by the school, but he quickly got over it. He just nodded, "I think it's good that Naruto has expanded his horizons and started reading as a hobby. As a leader he should be expected to engage in different activities and experience new things to improve his leadership skills, and reading is a prime example of that. I'd even suggest that you might want to follow that lesson as well Kiba."

"Thanks Ren. And shut up Kiba."

"I didn't even say anything."

"Yeah but I'm pretty sure you were about to." Bastard always had a sharp tongue and ready to cut him down a few pegs. The only way to beat Kiba's jabs was to anticipate them and knock them down before they even came out.

While he silently cheered for the win against his partner, Naruto felt a sudden presence and weight start to push on the book in his hands. His head snapped up to see Akamaru forcing his nose into the spine of the literature and sniff it a few times. The blond reeled back and started pushing against the dog's neck with his foot in an attempt to nudge him back, "No! No, get back! Stay away!"

Could he smell the cat on the book? Or was he just interested in snatching it because a fox was using it for something?

His was forced out of his thoughts as he felt the dog push and struggle against his foot even as he strained to hold him back. The dog plopped down on his butt and let out a sad little whine and whimper at Naruto's reluctance to play with him.

"Awwww~." Nora came over, dropping the stick out of her mouth and falling to her knees to comfort the sad dog. She hugged him affectionately and rubbed his head as she looked towards Naruto with an accusing glare, "That's mean Naruto! He just wants to play! You don't have to push him away like that!"

Was this furry bastard playing the cute and wounded animal card to hide its true devious nature? Sneaky son of a bitch.

"He does not just wanna play! He's always doing this!" He started listing off his complaints in a desperate attempt to get sympathy from his friends, "He sits on my clothes! He rolls around in my bed when I'm not in it! He somehow opens up my box of bandanas and just starts to flinging them around like they're toys!"

"He's just taken a liking to you." His partner offered up with a cheeky smirk and an exaggerated shrug, "Maybe he wants you to be his new best friend? I'm jealous."

He said that with a barely contained grin and zero concern for the idea that his dog might like the blond more than him. If Naruto was paranoid he'd almost suspect the boy and dog were working together to mess with him.

And he was paranoid. So that was totally his first guess!

"No way! I'm gonna be his new best friend!" The grip around Akamaru's neck tightened as Nora desperately attempted to affirm herself as the closest new friend the canine had made, "It will be me!"

"Fine! You do that!" Whatever was wrong with the girl that made her want to be friends with this mutt by choice was not his concern. The more often it was away from him the better, "Just make sure it stays away from the book! Blake already threatened that if I got this messed up, she'd do the same to me!"

"Ooooo~, ultimatums! Cool!" Nora found a comfortable spot on Akamaru's back and prepared for a run. She announced with a cheer, "Mush!"

"..."

"Sorry. Please go!"

"Ruff!"

The massive dog dashed and started sprinting around the grassy field as other students watched in amazement and disbelief. The whiskered boy sighed in relief after the troublemaker and the dog had run off and given him some peace. He took a moment and realized that recently he had started considering most of the usually fun and exciting stuff they did tiring and wanted to go back to reading.

Was the dog sapping away his energy?!

Was it the book?!

Oh dear god was he becoming Blake?!

"I hear this field will be covered in booths from sponsors and other Kingdom restaurants during the Vytal Festival." The boys looked around the empty clearing and imagined it filled with people and attractions from all over Remnant. Ren sat up and made sure Nora and Akamaru were still in his line of sight, "It'll be exciting to see what businesses come over and participate."

"Can't wait for the festival! It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Yep. And speaking of the festival," Kiba rolled his head and looked up at his partner expectantly, "Don't you think you should be saying something to us?"

"Like what exactly?" He didn't like where this was going.

"Remember what Goodwitch said earlier? 'Make sure to thank your friends and team for helping you get this far'." Kiba repeated in a dry, sophisticated, and stern voice in an attempt to impersonate the strict Huntress teacher. He dropped it and went back to normal as he raised his brow in wait, "Where's our appreciation, oh wonderful leader?"

"You know when you ask for it like that, it just sounds like you're pining for attention." The tattooed teen didn't seem that fazed or insulted by that statement as he merely waited silently for an answer. After a moment of silent contempt and letting out a long, haggard sigh, Naruto relented, "Thank you for helping me get through the year Kiba." He said without any meaning before his voice became more sincere, "I'm glad you and the others were by my side to help me."

"You're welcome. Make sure to say it to Tenten and Sasuke too."

"I know. And do you have anything you want to say to me?"

"Nah." The boy rested his hands behind his head and used them as a pillow while he lounged on the grass, "I think I'm good."

"... God I hate you so much."

"I suppose we should show our gratitude to Jaune and Pyrrha as well, for sticking by our side this semester. We owe them quite a lot. I can't imagine it was easy for them to grow accustomed to how rowdy we make a living space."

He said we. He really meant a certain cackling girl as she rode her mighty mount, very seriously considering grabbing _Magnhild_ to complete the ensemble.

Plus...it wasn't like either he or Nora had other people close to them they could show gratitude to. It was just them, and they had made their way to Beacon without the same familial support some of the other students might have.

So the companionship they had forged during their time here at Beacon, the camaraderie with NKTS and RWBY, and the friendships with Jaune and Pyrrha...

Ren was sure that even if he and Nora did say thanks, the others would never truly understand just how grateful they are for everything they had been given.

"Hehehehahahahaha!" Nora's fit of laughter got the boys' attention as Akamaru came shuffling back over to them. He came to a stop and dropped his butt as the orange-haired girl slid down his back and into the grass. The giggles petered out but her grin and joyful expression remained as she stood back up and patted her skirt. She stepped over to the canine's side and squatted down to face him directly, "That was fun Akamaru! Boop!"

She gently tapped the dog's wet nose and got a quick sneeze from him in return. Nora grinned and skipped over to the boys as she reached forward and did the same to Naruto and Kiba, "Boop. Boop."

The two boys blinked in surprise and looked down at their noses at the unexpected gesture. Naruto scratched his as Kiba chuckled, "What was that?"

Nora squatted down in front of Ren and grinned, "Just my way of saying-"

Thank you.

"Boop."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Tenten walked into the CCT and made her way through the gathering groups of students and other people who were gathered on the first floor. She walked into the elevator and took it up while the electronic voice spoke, "_Hello, welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?_"

Tenten quickly answered, "Um - the communications room please."

"_Absolutely. Could you please place your Scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?"_

She responded by pulling out her device and holding it up for the machine to scan. After a moment there was a positive ping and the elevator started climbing up, "_Perfect. Thank you, Ms. Tamura."_

Tenten pocketed her Scroll again and took a deep breath as she waited to reach her destination. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She was just calling home. She had texted back home every other weekend for the last few months with how she was doing. Maybe she was just worried about what kind of things her dad would ask her about when he saw her.

Was she eating properly? Any new hobbies? How were her grades? Did she have a boyfriend? Did she have a girlfriend? And probably all of the above in rapid succession.

The elevator reached the floor and Tenten flinched as the jolt yanked her out of her thoughts. The doors slid open and she walked out to the communications floor where the whole room looked like it was filled to capacity. Wow, she must have not been the only one trying to call home today. Maybe another time-

"_Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center. How may I help you?"_

Tenten turned back to see the holographic form of a young woman sitting behind the main control node and waiting for her to respond. She was never quite sure if this was just a digitally created image to make customer service easier or if it really was just a hologram of some woman somewhere else talking to her. She never really asked. It was super creepy.

She quickly fixed her posture and spoke, "Um-I'd like to place a call to the Tamura Weapon Manufacturing Center please. In Mistral!"

"_Absolutely. Head on over to Terminal 2 and I can patch you through immediately._"

"Oh, thanks." She smiled and started making her way through the rows of students and computer terminals with video feeds from places all around the world. Some people were happily talking with their parents and siblings, while others were getting into deeper debates about improving their work load, or troubles at home.

From all walks of life, apparently.

She finally noticed her empty screen and sat down while the call went through. The screen was black and there was no sign of anything happening until the screen lit up and displayed her family business logo, a T shaped like a forging hammer with sparks and flames covering the striking side.

"_Hey there," _She recognized her own voice from the voicemail, "_We're sorry to inform you that no one can currently make it to your call. Tyvetyve Tamura and the other employees are really busy at the moment. Sorry about that. But give us a minute and we'll definitely get right back to you. Bye!_"

Wow it was weird hearing herself like that.

A tone beeped out and Tenten laughed, "Um, hey Dad. It's me. I just wanted to give you a call and see how things were going. I guess it must be a busy day at the shop. Uh, sorry I got you at a bad time. If you can just call me back when you're free-"

"_Tenten?_"

The stock image blinked out and was replaced with the video stream of her father in his pajamas. His brown hair was short as usual and his stubble had grown into a much more substantial beard that hid the wrinkles around his mouth.

"Dad?" She blinked in shock before failing to hide a grimace, "What's with the beard? You look like one of those guys that gets stuck out in the mountains and becomes feral after a week."

"_Well that's kinda mean. It's not nearly as bad as you think." _He rubbed a hand through it that made Tenten wanna cringe, "_Since you're the one that always reminds me to shave but you weren't here, this little baby popped out one day. Been getting lots of compliments. People say I look like a TV star."_

"I think you look like a hobo."

"_Well I might as well enjoy my hobo glory before I have to tear it off when you get back."_

She laughed, "Why are you in your pajamas?"

"_Oh, I was gonna call it an early night. Had a long day today." _He pulled out a sandwich and started to partake, "_I woke up at 4 this morning to help with a big order we got last week. We got a call from Haven saying the students needed some maintenance for their weapons and sent us order forms. They've got every weapon shop in the vicinity of the Kingdom working on this."_

"Sounds like business is booming."

"_You have no idea." _He finished off his sandwich before smiling at the screen, "_So what's up sweetheart?"_

"Nothing much." She shrugged, "Just wanted to see how you were doing. Can't wait to come back over the break."

"_Me too, sweetie. I can't wait to see you again."_

"Yeah. And when I come back there's, well, hehehe," Tenten blushed bashfully and shifted in her seat, "There's something I want you to see."

"_What is it?"_

"Well I wanted to keep it a secret until I saw you but I just can't wait!" Tenten nearly burst out of her seat as she got up close to the screen, "I made my own weapon!"

"_What?!" _All of her father's previous fatigue and lethargy disappeared as complete shock covered his face before immediately replaced with joy, "_That's wonderful sweetheart! But what changed? What did you make?"_

"A pair of sticks. Dual use." She held her Scroll up and put it in the device jack, "Here, I'll send you the schematics I made."

Tyvetyve looked on a different side of the screen and squinted his eyes as he read over the blueprints, "_Carbon Fiber. Interlocking pieces. Mechanism to activate Dust units. You gave your weapons elemental properties with the twist of the grip? I'm impressed honey. The Dust units are a little too small for continued use though."_

"Yeah, but I fixed that last weekend. Reduced the length of the switching mechanism and converted to Powdered Dust for longer use and more powerful effects. Plus I kept it simple so I could modify them to temporarily work with my Semblance. I already have ideas about how to make them work at a longer range. But that's not the best part! The day after I finished them, I fought Pyrrha Nikos in a match!"

"_You did?! A-are you okay? Did you-"_

"I lost." Tenten said with a grin and pride as she patted her bicep, "But I didn't make it an easy win for her." Her father grinned as well and nodded with pride at his daughter's tenacity before Tenten relaxed in her seat, "Oh but Dad, Pyrrha is so much cooler in person! I wish I could introduce you! She's sweet and smart and really nice and so much stronger than what we see on television! She's like an awesome big sister, which is especially weird because I'm pretty sure I'm older than her."

"_Oh Tenten, I can't wait to hear everything you've done since you left." _She told him tidbits about her teammates and friends and what they did, but she never divulged the greater details. She was waiting for the chance to see him again to tell him everything, "_And I know your mother would love to hear all your stories too."_

A small smile came over her face as she nodded in agreement, "I can't wait to tell her."

"_Now, onto business. Boyfriend? Girlfriend? What's new?"_

"Ugh, Dad. There's interest but then there's just plain creepy."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby looked down at the Scroll in her hands as they fidgeted nervously. A deep, cold breath filled her lungs before a firm hand patted her back and gripped her shoulder. She looked up at her big sister who brought her in with a one-arm hug and gave her a little boost in confidence, "Come on. You know you want to."

Ruby smiled and flipped the Scroll open as the dial tone started ringing out. There was a click-

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Dad." She spoke up and gave the simple greeting with a smile she knew he couldn't see, "It's us."

"Hey Pops." Yang added in as her arm fell off Ruby's shoulder and onto Weiss' bed.

"_Hey girls!" _They immediately recognized the burst of joy and excitement in their father's voice with the response to their call, "_This is pretty sudden. I'm usually the one calling you two. What's the occasion?"_

"Nothin' much." Yang joked, "We just wanted to check up. Make sure you didn't fall asleep on a toilet or somethin'."

_"Oh, one time and that's become the expectation."_

"She's kidding." She elbowed Yang's side and got a choked laugh from the blonde girl in return. Ruby smiled hearing the laugh from the other side of the call, "But are you okay? Haven't been lonely without us, have you?"

_"Me? No I'm fine. But I'll tell you whose been having an absolutely impossible time moving on...Zwei. Little guy can't even bring himself to get out of bed. I mean look at this sad little mug."_

There was a ring from Yang's Scroll and they opened it to find a picture of Zwei with his goofy expression and rolled out tongue. The sisters laughed in full spirit at the perfect picture of their dog.

"_Yeah but no worries, I'm gonna take him out for a night on the town. He's already looking forward to it."_

Another ring and the girls looked to see it was almost the exact same picture except the little canine was now wearing a pair of comically huge glasses.

Yang gasped for air as Ruby struggled to hold her giggles, "O-oh my god, I think I just found my wallpaper."

"_Yeah, he's talented like that. Anyway, how are you girls? You're safe right?"_

They rolled their eyes in unison at the familiar worried tone and Ruby answered, "Yeah Dad, we're okay. Me and Yang are still in one piece."

"Just like the last time you asked."

_"Well excuse me for worrying. I'm your father and I should inform you that being worried is par for the course when I have you both as daughters."_

"I like to think we make life more enriching and adventurous." The elder sister jested while tussling Ruby's hair and annoying the younger girl.

She ducked out of Yang's reach, "Oh, Dad, have you heard back from Uncle Qrow yet?"

"_Sorry Ruby, Qrow hasn't responded." _This caused the red-clad girl's shoulders to sag in disappointment, "_I told you that he probably wouldn't be back from that mission for awhile. That guy can be a handful sometimes but when he has a job he follows it through."_

"Aww, that sucks." She perked up with hope, "Do you think he'll be back in time for the festival?"

"Yeah." Yang propped her head up as she leaned back on the bed, "You'd think he'd find time to check and see how his two favorites nieces will be dominating the tournament and getting global recognition."

"_I really don't know. But knowing Qrow, even if he was busy, I'm sure he'd find a way to watch you two fight in that tournament. And probably find some choice words to say to you both when you were done."_

"Yep, sounds like Qrow." They could do nothing but nod in total agreement with that thought.

"_Girls?"_

"Yeah Dad?"

"What's up?"

"_Just...I want you both to know how proud I am of you." _They blinked in mild surprise before Taiyang continued, "_I know I was a bit panicked when you went off to Beacon, Yang, and Ruby I did argue that you were too young to go to a hunting school just yet. I know I'm more than just a pain in the butt sometimes, but you're both doing a real good job." _If they could see his face they would suspect he was struggling to stifle his worry before finishing, "_I know you two will be the best Huntresses to ever come out of that place."_

...

Ruby felt her insides go warm and feel her eyes start to water, "Thanks Dad."

Yang smiled earnestly and wrapped an arm back around Ruby's shoulder, "Keep talking like that and you're gonna make us cry."

"_Well don't want that. You two start crying and you know I'm following not long after." _Ah yes, their father, the sympathy crier. Taiyang chuckled, "_You're both coming back over to Patch for the break, right?"_

"You bet!"

"_Great. You both keep working hard now, okay? I'll call you again soon. Love you Yang."_

"Yeah, love you too."

"_Love you Ruby."_

"Love you too Dad."

"_Bye."_

"Bye." They said together as the call came to an end.

The sisters sat in silence before Ruby placed it to her side and leaned into Yang with a sigh. Yang seemed to do the same before she broke the growing silence, "See? That wasn't so bad."

"Better than our usual calls." Ruby agreed, "He didn't ask if we had any new injuries or if we got into more fights this time."

"Yeah. And not hounding us about talking to boys." The buxom blonde raised a fist up in triumph, "That's a win in my book."

"He sounded happier." The little sister noted, "That's a plus, right?"

"We couldn't exactly see his face." Yang countered with a tired sigh, "He's faked being energetic before, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

It sounded kind of horrible, but the sisters always tried to judge their father's mood by his voice and expressions. It had become a job for them to be able to discern when he was genuinely happy, or just faking it in front of them.

That's what it was like growing up with someone who had lost so much and tried to protect what little he had left. Sometimes, like in recent years, he was just like a normal father. Happy. Doting. Stern. Tried to cook for them but failed and had to order pizza in the end while watching a movie. Fun stuff.

Other times, like in the years when they were growing up, their father was there but never really there. Like a doll. A husk. Some days his loss caught up with him at its worst and he just couldn't respond to it. He would just shut down.

And they wanted to do whatever they could to make sure they avoided that outcome.

"You think he's okay?" Ruby asked with uncertainty and hope that Yang would be more observant than her, "He'll be alright for just a few more weeks till we get back, right?"

A soft smile came over Yang's face as she reached up and gently patted Ruby's head. The older sister left a small kiss on Ruby's head and smiled, "He can handle himself. I think you and I don't give him enough credit sometimes." She grinned and shrugged, "We should just focus on surviving these last few weeks and then we'll think about everything else."

"Good point. Homework."

"Tests."

"Finals."

"Weiss telling us to do finals."

"Weiss riding us about the tests."

"Weiss telling us off about sitting on her bed and messing it up."

"We should get off before she gets back."

"Yep. And fix it before she finds out."

"I don't think we can. She always notices even the tiniest little creases and stuff."

"Then it's easy. We blame Blake and let the Ice Queen get on her case instead."

"That's horrible. But I totally agree."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake leaned against the wall outside the cafeteria and looked up at the sun as it had started going down its arc and reached a point where the sky mixed purple and orange. The Faunus girl was sure that she had made her way down here to get something to eat, but found herself distracted by other matters.

In the grassy path and sidewalk by the cafeteria, Blake spotted Velvet strolling around and taking photographs of the students and surroundings with her camera. The upperclassman seemed so content and happy at the moment as she took various snapshots of everything around her. Blake even found herself to be the subject of a flash before the older girl gave her a polite wave and continued her hobby.

She seemed so much different compared to that girl that was being bullied by Cardin and his cronies not too long ago. She had gotten over it so quickly. Either she had learned to get past the pain of those humiliating sessions quickly, or she just had a much stronger mental fortitude than Blake had given her credit for.

But either way...she seemed to have moved on from that pain...

And that was something Blake was extremely envious of at the moment.

Over the last few days, the conversation she had with Naruto continued to come back and cloud her mind almost entirely. Topics of Faunus relations with humanity. Their public acceptance. Their private discrimination. The White Fang and different sides of an argument about it.

These were all things she had thought about at length recently.

But the most prevalent debate...had been the choice of whether to reveal her Faunus nature to her team or not.

Her mind had immediately made dozens of counterpoints and arguments against the idea. Weiss' reluctance. The many different ways Ruby and Yang may respond. What could possibly go wrong. Blake had considered all of these points in full and weighed them against the advantages.

The advantages...

The ease and joy and relief Naruto spoke about to have his team in on his secret. She could just imagine it. Even if it wouldn't be the same and the small possibility they would all be okay with it...it just seemed so perfect.

The good and bad. For and against. Her mind was cluttered with these concepts for days now, and Naruto just seemed too preoccupied with reading her book to be having the same kind of mental debate as her.

On a side note she was totally winning their little arrangement.

"Yoink!"

"Hey!"

Blake came out of her thoughts at the familiar yelp and looked up to see some new girl had snatched Velvet's camera out of her hands. She held it over her head with a grin as the Faunus desperately tried to take it back.

No. Not this time. She struggled with the choice the last time she watched the bunny be subjected to this kind of torment, but not-

"Coco! That's not funny!" The rabbit Faunus huffed as she stomped her foot and threw her hands down, "I was in the middle of taking a picture!"

"Yeah, I know. We've been waiting for you to finish for half an hour." The beret-wearing girl said with no small amount of mirth at seeing her friend get huffy with her. The girl tipped her glasses and looked at the Faunus with a much more scrupulous glare, "You remember we're supposed to be going to sessions Glynda set up for us so we're prepared for the missions next semester, right?"

Velvet's ears quickly slumped over and she realized her mistake. She looked aside meekly under her leader's gaze, "Y-yes."

"And we should be there now. But where are we?"

"Waiting for me and my photos." She muttered before looking up at Coco, "Are we going to be in trouble?"

"Well, she's probably gonna scold and tell us off." The taller girl flicked her sunglasses up her bridge again and grinned, "But not like that's any different from normal." The fashionable girl then took a moment to look over the camera in her hand and tilt her head quizzically, "Why are you taking pics here anyway? No one is carrying their stuff with them."

Velvet got closer to Coco's side to see the pictures she had taken, "I know but I still like taking pictures of the landscape and surroundings. I think they look really good."

"Well I bet I can get a better picture easy." Coco turned back and called out, "Fox! Yatsu! Get over here, family photo!"

Two taller boys made their way over to the girls as Coco smiled and pulled Velvet in with a shoulder hug. They positioned themselves and the beret girl held up the camera, "Say chee-uh, Yatsu, you might wanna bend over a little? Little more. Little more. A lot mor-you know what, we'll take it down here." She angled the camera so it was pointed up at them instead and got the whole team in as the camera flashed, "There you go. Golden. We should make copies."

The team started making their way back where they came as the team happily walked beside the Faunus girl and laughed with her. She looked like an entirely different person compared to that girl she had pitied while being bullied by those boys.

Blake had unconsciously reached up to grip her right elbow and looked down at it as her eyes softened.

"_Blake, are you alright child?"_

"_I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about."_

"_Your arm is bleeding."_

"_I just scrapped it when we were leaving with everyone. You need to talk to everybody again and tell them this was just a hard day."_

_"I think they're aware of that. But if we don't patch that up it might get infected."_

_"I said I'm fine-"_

_"No buts young lady, give me your arm and I'll fix it. Blake, give me your arm."_

_"Okay."_

_"Good girl. You know, I think it might be time for me to activate your Aura. You're just about the age where most people get theirs unlocked. And you won't have to worry about scrapped knees or elbows at rallies anymore."_

_"Mr. Hiruzen?"_

_"Yes dear?"_

_"Why isn't this working? We go out almost every day and rally, hoping people would listen to us. But by the end we're either ignored or getting pushed out by another group of people."_

_"It is working, my child. Those people that rebuked us are just the ones that are so set in their ways of hatred that they can't do anything but try and fight us. Because they know we're reaching people with our beliefs."_

_"But...there are so many of them."_

_"I know. And that hurts me too, every time I see it."_

_"Some of the adults say we should push back when they arrive. That we should stay and fight-"_

_"No. That is not the answer."_

_"Why not?! How can we ever hope to reach people when we're blocked out by all this rage and hate?!"_

_"Blake listen to me. I have been a part of this group for decades. When it was passed onto me, I tried to lead it with the same fortitude, integrity, and heart that my predecessor did when they lead it. I know it might not seem like it, but over the years I have noticed changes in the world. Changes for the better. The prejudice and bias opinions may seem like the majority of the world, but they just bark the loudest. It may take time, but we will see a peaceful world for everyone to live in."_

_"It...it shouldn't have to take this long."_

_"You're right. It shouldn't. But you need to understand Blake, as many horrible crimes I've seen humans commit to Faunus, I've seen Faunus commit to humans in return. It might seem easier to fight back, but that will only perpetuate a constant cycle of hatred that turns between our races. They are not our enemies. They are our brothers and sisters. And if we ever wish to live together in peace...we need to extend an open hand, not a closed fist."_

_"A cycle of hatred?"_

_"Yes Blake, if you want to live in a world of peace, abandon your hatred and fear. Destroy that cycle. Live with the hope of love and peace."_

"Blake?"

The Faunus girl came out of her memory and looked up to see Weiss walking towards her with a worried expression. She must have been really out of it if she didn't even notice the sound of her heels clicking against the stone of the sidewalk. Why did that old memory come back to her now of all times?

"Are you alright?" The heiress questioned as her eyes drifted down to her side, "Is your arm okay?"

"Huh?" Blake realized she was still gripping her arm and let go to see she was holding it so tightly her light complexion had gone red for a moment. She nodded to reassure her teammate, "I'm okay. I just got caught up in an old thought."

"Oh. Well if you're sure." She watched the shorter girl breath out in relief before her face switched to a scolding glower and a hand on her hip, "Don't make me worry so much. I was coming down to eat and I see you just standing out here with some sullen look on your face. I was expecting the worst."

"I'm fine Weiss." Blake repeated, "You don't have to worry and you don't have to give me a speech. Everything is okay."

The ivory-haired girl seemed to take the opinion in stride before she just crossed her arms and nodded, "Fine. You're smart enough to know when you need help." She stood there silently before her shoulders loosened a little and she seemed hesitant to speak, "Well if you're okay...would you like to get something to eat?"

Weiss was asking her to join her and eat? This seemed strange. Blake crossed her arms and asked with a skeptical look, "What's with you? You look like Ruby trying to talk to someone for the first time."

"Look, I'm asking you if you want to get something to eat, alright. I'm not used to asking people those kind of questions. Usually Ruby just grabs us by the wrist and carries us off to grab something quick to eat." Weiss huffed and rubbed her face with an annoyed grumble, "Second person to point that out today."

"Second?"

"Weiss, everything okay?"

Blake spotted Sasuke coming down the sidewalk as well before he stopped when he saw that she noticed him. Weiss asked him to come along too? What was going on? This wasn't the first time she had noticed the weird friendship form between the Uchiha descendent and the Schnee heiress.

"Yes, everything's fine." Weiss answered, not noticing the silent tension that had formed when Sasuke and Blake had spotted each other. The ponytailed girl continued on, "I just invited Blake to come and join us for dinner."

She had gotten nervous just asking him out for food. Alone. Like a date? If Yang was here she'd probably have a field day.

"Oh." Sasuke hummed before he faked a smile and jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Then I should probably get going. Don't wanna interrupt you two and your meal."

"Nonsense!" Weiss argued, "We can all eat together! The tables are big enough!"

"Yeah, but I-"

"She's right." Blake said as she stepped past Weiss and headed forward. She didn't smile but she sent him a small nod, "There's no reason for you to leave. Let's go eat...together."

It was strange and uncomfortable, and knowing her she probably said it with a frown or something that mixed the message, but she wanted to let the offer stand. Mend bridges. Fix the awkward tension that built between them the moment they realized their heritage on that first day.

Sasuke seemed surprised by her offer and went silent...before he just gave her a small nod. It wasn't a clear invitation for friendship or anything.

But it was a step. A peaceful dinner with a Schnee, an Uchiha, and a Faunus. A step in ridding the world of that cycle of hatred.

"What about me?! I'm the one that made the offer in the first place!" Weiss called out as they went ahead and she waved her arms around frantically, "Don't just leave without me!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Press on! Don't let up! If you hesitate for a moment-"

"WRAH!"

Jaune's sword came down towards Pyrrha's head but she merely sidestepped it completely as his blade hit the stone of the roof with a thud. There was a severe tremor that ran up the length of his arm as Pyrrha slammed her shield on his forearm and swept out his foot. The blond leader spun through the air before landing on his back with a loud grunt and moan.

He opened one eye from his pained wince and looked up to see Pyrrha standing over him. Her usual kind demeanor had returned as she smiled proudly, "That was a wonderful attempt Jaune. You're already showing improvement."

"I am?" He asked with skeptical disbelief as he rolled off his back and looked up at his stronger partner in clear opposition of her statement, "Because I feel like that was one of my worst attempts so far."

"Well, you were a little bit more sluggish than usual." She admitted with a sheepish smile as she noticed him glare up at her. She coughed and holstered her weapons on her back before offering him a hand, "Is something wrong? You seem distracted."

He was hefted back up to his feet and quickly sheathed _Crocea Mors_ before patting himself down. He sighed, knowing that he really couldn't hide anything from Pyrrha when she was super observant. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll to show her the source of his wandering thoughts.

**Dad: Hey how's it going**

"Your father texted you?"

"I texted him first." Jaune said as he took his Scroll back and looked down at it apprehensively, "What Goodwitch told us earlier today, about thanking our family and friends for getting us here really hit me." He looked up and gave her a thankful smile, "By the way, thanks for sticking with me despite everything."

She returned his smile with a much more radiant and confident smile, "Thank you for being my partner as well." She then returned to normal and focused back on the issue, "So what's the problem?"

"Well, I don't know what to say to him. Or how to talk with him." Jaune confessed with an uncertain expression as his thumb ran along the screen, "The last time we talked was before I left for Beacon. He wasn't sure I was ready to take on the task of being a Huntsman and I did it anyway because..." He shrugged and motioned to the roof, "Well we've had that conversation already."

She nodded in full agreement. That was still a very fresh event in their minds. There was no need to retrace those steps.

"So even though we said goodbye, things were still pretty...tense after last time." He lowered his arms to his side and hunched his shoulders, "I still send texts with my Mom and sisters but I haven't talked with Dad in a while. And I don't know what to say. Any advice?"

"If you're asking if I know what you should say to your father, then I should tell you now that I have no idea."

"Figures." That'd be too easy.

"But Jaune," He felt her hand grip his shoulder and he looked to see the encouraging smile on the champion's face, "Don't think about what you said or didn't say to each other back then. Think about right now, and what you want to talk with him about here."

...

The boy took a deep breath and started typing away.

**I'm okay. Just wanted to check up and see how you guys were doing.**

**Dad: We're okay. Your mother is always worried about you. Sisters too. But I tell them to give you some space. Men need room to do what they do.**

**Thanks for that. I appreciate it.**

**Dad: No problem. How are you holding up? Is everything okay there at Beacon?**

**It's hard. And sometimes I feel like I'm only just scrapping by. But I got my team and partner to help me catch up and go, so no worries there.**

**Dad: That's good. We all need someone to help us get by.**

**I know that now more than ever.**

**Dad: I'm glad to hear from you again. I didn't want to show the girls but I get worried sometimes thinking about what you might be doing over there.**

**Well, there are a lot of crazy people here that make life hectic. I got one of the craziest on my team, and I'm pretty sure I'm friends with the rest of them. But they're really cool people.**

**Dad: That's good.**

**Hey Dad, someone brought this up the other day. Do girls like scars?**

**Dad: What do you mean?**

Jaune smiled and looked back at Pyrrha with a grin. He parted his hair to reveal the new scar that adorned his forehead before he took a picture of himself. He sent it and moments later got a response.

**Dad: Oh my god! Are you okay?! What happened?!**

**Got in a fight with an Ursa. I won by the way.**

**Dad: Did anything else break? Your brain's okay? No concussions? You know our names, right?**

**I'm fine. Aura took care of it. There was some blood but I was okay.**

**Dad: You were? I thought you gag and get dizzy when you think of blood.**

**Well maybe I'm just becoming a really cool guy and moving past it. Although I did dry heave when I got to the infirmary and realized my face was covered.**

**Dad: That's surprising Jaune. And yes by the way, some girls really appreciate the scars. You'll definitely get that little lady's attention if you try.**

**What are you talking about?**

**Dad: That girl behind you in the picture. That's who you're trying to impress right?**

Jaune realized the mistake he made catching Pyrrha in his photo and tried to fix it before-

**Dad: Sorry kiddo but I'm gonna have to show this to the others. They'll be dying to see how much manlier you look now.**

Oh no.

Instantly Jaune's Scroll blew up with texts and messages and voice mails from his mother and sisters. He could only catch glimpses of the words before they were pushed out by another set. Some asking if he was okay. Some asking when he was coming home. Most inquiring who the lovely lady behind him was.

It did not stop.

His shoulders slumped and he felt a comforting squeeze on his shoulder as Pyrrha rescued him, "Why don't we call it a day? I think it's time we get back to our room."

Oh, he needed that right now.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

When Jaune and Pyrrha arrived back on their floor, they noticed the crowd of their friends huddled around NKTS' room. Blake stood the furthest away from the spectacle, just popping her head out of the door from RWBY's room as they joined the rest, "What's going on?"

Nora and Ruby looked back up at them as the younger girl replied, "Well we came over to play with Akamaru. But when we got here, this was happening."

"DAMMIT! THAT'S MY VEST! IT'S NOT A TUG OF WAR TOY!"

They finally noticed the battle occurring between their whiskered friend and the furry canine in the dorm room. Akamaru had his mouth around the orange vest Naruto so often wore in training and sparring and was now only wearing his blue undershirt. He was struggling to pry the bright clothing out of the dog's mouth and had initiated a rough game of it as the others watched.

Yang grinned, "Man, I can't decide who I want to win this match."

"ME! YOUR FRIEND! THE ONE BEING TORMENTED BY THE BEAST!"

Weiss scoffed, "He's just a dog. Tormenting might be a little too far."

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Naruto desperately yelled before he turned to his partner with a vicious yell, "KIBA! CONTROL THE DOG!"

"Yeah okay, there's only so much he's allowed to do." Kiba came over to their side and dropped right by his dog as he tapped between his ears, "Knock it off."

Akamaru's mouth slipped open and Naruto nearly tumbled back into Sasuke's bed as the blond looked over his vest for tears. He didn't seem to find any before he started seething with rage directed towards the massive animal, "This dog. Is seriously. Pissing me off."

"Oh, stop overreacting Naruto." Tenten said lightheartedly, "He's just playing with you."

"He has it out for me! I'm telling you!" He tried to defend his position, "He always tries to eat my snacks! He pushed his nose into my books and work! He gets up on my bed when we're not around!"

"He does that for all our beds." The Uchiha said as he patted his comforter, "All our beds are covered in dog hair."

"Yeah but he farts on mine! And that's intentional!"

That had earned a few choked laughs and giggles from their peanut gallery as the bandana-wearing boy turned and locked his glare on them instead. They all tried to avoid his eyes but couldn't stop laughing.

"It's not that funny!"

"It's okay man." Jaune tried to cheer his buddy up from his anger with the big white dog, "I hear animals get comfortable in the clothes of people they like because their smell makes them happy. I'm bet the farting is just a sign of endearment or something."

"Oh, endearment?" Naruto said sarcastically before nodding, "I guess that makes sense. Hey Jaune, you're my friend and close buddy! Give me your hoodie so I can fart in it! As a show of 'endearment'!"

Okay, he could see why that wasn't helpful. Jaune held his hoodie protectively, "Okay, never mind."

"That wasn't a request." Naruto said more sternly as he held out his hand, "Hoodie. Now."

...

It took Jaune a moment to realize that everyone had parted and made a clear path between him and Naruto.

"EEP!" He darted down the hallway to escape the boy's wrath.

"GET BACK HERE!" It failed as Naruto quickly chased after him.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Apparently all of their friends were following along to either stop them or enjoy the continuation of the earlier spectacle.

Jaune desperately sprinted like his life depended on it and rounded the corner before he quickly came to a halt. He looked up at the familiar silver-haired headmaster that just looked at him in silence, "P-Professor Ozpin!"

"Hello Jaune, you seem full of energy despite the evening time." The older man noticed with intrigue, "Did something happen?"

"No! We were just-"

"Gotcha!"

"AH!"

Naruto came diving in from around the corner and caught Jaune in a headlock as the Arc's arms waved around desperately. Naruto finally noticed who they were standing with and chuckled, "Oh, hey Professor. What are you doing here so..."

Suddenly Jaune felt the grip around his neck relax to the point he nearly fell on his face from the lack of support. He blinked in surprise and looked up to see Naruto was staring forward with...well, he looked like a deer in headlights.

The others finally made their way around the corner and immediately went at attention when they noticed Ozpin's presence, "Professor!" Ruby yelled out in shock, "What are you doing here?"

"You all seem rather energetic tonight. Good to see you aren't getting lazy with the close of the semester so soon." The wizened man held his hands on his cane and looked between all of them, "I'm here because this was the last stop of the tour for today."

"Tour?" Ruby questioned as they all looked between each other in confusion. Ruby innocently asked, "Why would you need a tour, sir?"

"It's not for me." Ozpin said before he motioned to the person beside him, "It's for my guest."

The students all finally noticed the man standing besides their headmaster as he stepped forward. He was a tall individual, only an inch or two shorter than Ozpin. He wore dark black jeans and a blue dress shirt with a white coat and red trimmings down the arms. He had shoulder length spiky blond hair with bangs that went down his slim face. He looked very youthful and had bright blue eyes that looked towards all of them as they did the same to him.

His eyes panned over the large group of students before falling on one in particular. Someone who looked stunned and shocked and frozen all at the same time when he saw him. The older man felt a big smile come over his face before he finally spoke...

"Hey Naruto. Been awhile, huh?"

...

"Dad?"

**((((((((Extra: If I Made it Cloning, It'd be This))))))))**

Naruto sat on the bench with a heavy expression as he tiredly waited for things to go about their course.

"Heya Naruto!" Ruby cheerfully called out to her friend as her team followed closely by to greet the whiskered boy before heading over to the cafeteria, "What are you doing out...wow!"

The other girls were just as flabbergasted by the sight in front of them. Other students and teachers stopped as well to see the spectacle occurring over the main court of Beacon's campus.

The spectacle being the cacophony of noise and the sight of hundreds of identical Naruto lookalikes talking over each other and yelling.

Yang blinked in absolute disbelief, "So is it me or does anyone else see an ocean of Narutos?" She needed clarification that she wasn't going insane or had some sick fixation on her blond friend. Sure he was cute, but god damn.

There was an unanimous nod from the team as Ruby approached the only Naruto located away from the swarm. She asked what she could only hope was Naruto Prime, "So - what's happening and why are there so many of you?"

A tired sigh was their first answer before he turned over in the bench to face them properly, "It's my Semblance."

"Your Semblance?"

"Yep. I can make clones of myself. I was overdue to make a batch of them already and I decided to do it today."

"That's so cool!" Ruby squealed as she looked around at the insane number of copies he could make of himself on command. She bounced with excitement, "Why don't you use it more often?! This would make fighting in the spars so much easier!"

"Ruby has a point." Yang placed her hands on her hips and looked at him pointedly, "And why'd you make it sound like your Semblance was some kinda horrible burden? This seems like a pretty awesome skill to have."

"It sucks because I can't control them."

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Yep. No control whatsoever." Naruto admitted with a huff as he supported his head with his fist, "Every few months I gotta create a batch of new clones or I start getting headaches. And when they're made I can't talk to them or control them. They just spread out and start acting out on my thoughts."

They all looked at him strangely after the last part of that explanation before Ruby asked, "Your thoughts?"

"Yep." He nodded, "I don't know when they're decided or why they manifest those thoughts, but each one of these guys basically just acts out a thought or a mindset I had at some point over the last few weeks."

Blake required elaboration as now she was interested, "So your conscious, subconscious, ego, super-ego, and id thoughts are all manifested when you create these clones?"

"Pretty much."

The four teens looked between each other before looking out over the rally of clones. Ruby pointed out, "The yous over there arguing?"

"All the times I got into arguments and couldn't think of a good comeback."

Weiss crossed her arms, "Lying on their backs and rubbing their stomachs?"

"Deciding whether I wanna take a nap or get something to eat."

Blake raised an eyebrow, "What about the group of you that's humming and dancing over in the corner?"

"Do you ever get a song stuck in your head and can't get it out?"

"Okay~." Yang was scratching her head, "What about the group that's shuffling on their feet and covering their crotches?"

"I'm a boy, alright! Let me have my thoughts!"

...

Okay then.

"Well this is fun." Yang smirked as she started heading towards the closet concentration of Naruto and cracked her knuckles. This was the perfect chance to rectify that loss in the first week of the semester and affirm once again that she could kick anyone's ass if she tried. Multiple times. She started rolling her shoulders, "Think I'll take some time to knock a few of them around. Work up an appetite."

"Don't bother." Naruto called out to warn his fellow blonde, "It's about to start."

"What is?"

"Hey! Look at this!" One of the Naruto clones called out as the entire court went silent. He held up a metal pipe, "I found a pipe!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

...

"THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!"

The Naruto swarm roared and started attacking each other mercilessly, throwing punches and kicks and grabbing whatever they could use as a weapon. People backed off in shock and ran away as the destruction of the blond riot started to spread out in every direction.

Yang slowly stepped away from the carnage and all four girls turned to Naruto for an explanation. His bored expression persisted as he shook his head, "It always ends in fighting. I think they all share that in common. After a while they just go bloodthirsty and started wailing on each other. It's grim."

Blake looked on at the horrible sequence of violence, "You don't think you should be a little worried that all of your conscious and subconscious thoughts end in violence and blood?"

"I try not to think about it."

"Well you should, and you should focus on getting a handle on your Semblance." Weiss reprimanded the boy with hands on her hips in her best impression of an authoritative figure, "You can not allow your skill to go unchecked like that just because you don't think you can control it. A Semblance is like a muscle." She repeated the inspiring words her sister had told her many times during her training, "As long as you test and push its limits, it can only grow stronger. And another thing-"

"GAH!"

A heavy spray of blood flew out and covered all five teens in a carmine sheen, most noticeably the Schnee heiress whose back was covered head to toe in a stark contrast to her usual white attire. She froze in horror, feeling the warm plasma drip down her back into a pool at her feet as her voice hitched.

Naruto wiped his face of the worst of it and looked them over, "You might wanna wash that off."

**1 hour later.**

Glynda and Ozpin walked out into the courtyard to see the aftermath of the bloody battle of the Uzumaki duplicates. In every corner of their sight they could see pools of blood, severe property damage, and even the unfortunate stray piece of a Naruto lying on the floor.

Naruto Prime walked by the two older Hunters and greeted them with a smile, "Hey Professors! Thanks for letting me use the courtyard to clear my head! I feel much better!" The young man happily strolled on by with a kick in his step and a hum in his voice as they remained still in shock.

...

"Well Glynda, you were curious to see why he never used his Semblance as often as other students. I hope you're satisfied."

"You know I'm not."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**I'm not even sure this has to be said, but for safety, no this is not his Semblance. I swear the teasing will stop soon. This was just a joke I thought up and wanted to show all of you. This was actually an idea for his Semblance I had when I first started writing this story and needed to decide his skill. Remember I wrote this when Volume 2 was first premiering. We didn't know as much about RWBY as we do now.**_

_**Those episodes are what we now call the good'ol days.**_

_**Also, I don't why, probably thinking back on all those team names you sent me, but I thought of Grease Lightning for Nora/Penny. Don't know where that came from but I had a laugh.**_

_**I'm sorry if it sort of detracted from the serious end of the actual chapter. I just needed to write this. Because even though it was pretty damn dark, this was actually a really funny segment for me to write.**_

_**And it might be the last purely funny thing I write for this story for a while. Especially right now. Because this next chapter...I'm gonna have to be hitting all the little parts of me I buried deep down so they would never be hurt again in order to fully convey what I want to tell you. And after that...**_

_**Let's just say I'm seriously debating on changing the rating of this story. Honestly, even I think the next arc starts off dark, and remember where I go with my other stories. Tell me what you think. And if you think I should/n't, speak up.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	35. What You Run From

Hunting or Bust

Dust 30: What You Run From

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"Naruto? Where are you?" Minato called through the house in an effort to find his son. He pushed a moving box out of his path and looked around, "Kushina?"_

_"Yeah?" She responded from a different room while packing._

_"Have you seen Naruto? I can't find him anywhere."_

_"He was outside playing with his blocks last time I saw him."_

_Outside, duh. Why didn't he think of that?_

_He made his way through the kitchen and opened the back door into the backyard. He immediately noticed the five-year-old Faunus playing in the grass and stacking his building blocks together to make a small tower in front of the forest. Despite him playing around outside with some of his favorite toys, Minato could easily tell his son wasn't happy from the frown on his face. He smiled and slowly approached the grumpy child, "Hey buddy, you okay?"_

_He scrunched up his face a little more and Minato got a rather definitive answer with that expression. He scratched his head in an effort to figure out how to appease the child, "Listen Naruto, I know you don't wanna move. But I swear you'll really like the new house. It's got a whole other floor for us to play on and there will be kids around your age." Minato tried to convince the little boy of the benefits of their relocation._

_However the moment Naruto toppled over his own tower and crossed his arms with a humph, Minato remembered he was dealing with a child._

_Minato just chuckled and ruffled his son's hair, knowing he was getting a response by the tucking and happy tremble of his ears. The older blond rounded up all the building blocks before grabbing a ball and holding it up to Naruto, "Me and Mommy have to finish up a little more packing, but when we're done we'll come out and we can all play catch. How's that sound?"_

_Naruto tried to remain miffed but his ears flapped back up happily. Minato grinned at that and patted his head one more time before making his way back into the house while Naruto tossed the ball up by himself._

_The blond man started to carefully store the kitchen supplies and cutlery in the boxes to make sure they didn't break. He was in no way, shape, or form a cooking man. Not from lack of trying. Just...some people are gifted in certain areas, and others not so much. Kushina for example had an amazing gift with making food, and she proved that all the time with making their family delicious meals. And if he ruined any of this stuff he was certain she'd be pissed at him._

_Minato took a moment after hefting the box up on the counter and looked over the kitchen and halls to see they were filled with moving boxes. There was so much to move. And there was still so much left to do._

_But this would be a good thing._

_This house was too small for them, and Naruto would start growing soon. Plus this house was closest to the woods in the whole village, and who knows what lurks behind those trees. He wouldn't risk letting them stay here any longer._

_This might have been the only home they could have afforded a few years ago but he was going to start contractual jobs under the Vale Council and their emissaries. They could do a lot more now. And they would be happier somewhere else. Somewhere where there weren't still people that would look at a human and Faunus family and just..._

_Ugh...he hated those people. Another benefit of leaving this stupid little village for good._

_He lifted a big box up and went to put it in the hall while sparing a glance out the window at his son-_

_..._

_Where'd he go?_

_Minato dropped the box and darted out the door as he desperately turned back-and-forth to spot his son. His eyes focused in on the stray ball he had given Naruto that laid outside-_

_The forest._

_**"AROOOO!"**_

_Beowolf!_

_"NARUTO!" Minato instantly transported through the trees and continued blinking in and out of existence with a yellow flash. He looked around in a panic as he heard Kushina call out his name behind him. He just focused on finding his son as he cried out, "NARUTO! NARUTO!"_

_"WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"_

_Minato heard the cry and quickly sprinted in the direction it was coming from. When he got there he saw Naruto sitting on the floor with a red face as tears streaming down his face. He had small claw marks going up his arm but they looked to be closing up already as he quickly embraced his son, "Oh thank god!"_

_"D-Daddy!" The little whiskered child cried into his father's shoulder and continued sobbing out in fright, "M-monster! It was gonna hurt me! Don't let it hurt me!"_

_Minato looked over and saw something very strange. It was certainly a Beowolf. A young one. A pup. It hadn't even grown any armor over its body yet. But that wasn't the strange part._

_It was dead. Its body had already started to decay into a black mist. And the injury that had felled the Grimm was a large shredded off part of its ribs that even tore some of the tree behind it._

_It was killed._

_"Don't let it hurt me Daddy." Naruto quietly sobbed into Minato's shirt and clung to him for safety after the terrifying experience, "Don't let it hurt me."_

_"I'm sorry Naruto." Minato comforted his son and gently rubbed his head to calm him down, "I'm sorry I let you out of my sight. This won't happen again."_

_He won't ever let it happen again._

_"I won't let anything hurt you."_

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The silence felt like it had gone on forever. Like an eternal quiet had fallen immediately after the two had said anything. His father kept that warm smile on his face and looked just plain happy to see him again.

Naruto...he didn't know how to respond.

"Dad? Did you say Dad?" His partner was the first person to say anything as he attempted to wrap his head around the sudden development, "This is your dad?!"

"That would be me." Minato responded while waving to the group of students, "My name is Minato Namikaze, and I'm Naruto's father. Nice to meet you."

"Holy crap! This is real!"

"W-what are you doing here?" Naruto sounded so spooked that it was impossible for some of them not to notice.

"Minato has come to Beacon as my guest." Ozpin elaborated to try and calm his confused students down, "I was showing him around Vale and now we're ending the tour in Beacon."

Minato stepped forward and looked around the halls fondly, "Now I swear these halls are smaller. But maybe I did grow a little more than I thought." The older man looked back down towards the group in front of him with a smile, "But I know for a fact that the four-person teams are still a thing. So may I ask who's making sure my son is okay for the next four years?"

"Oh, not missing out on this!" Kiba quickly pushed his way up front and walked up to the older blond. He smirked and held out his hand, "Hey, I'm Kiba Inuzaka. I'm the guy that drew the short straw and has to carry him around for the next few years."

"Ha, that's one heck of a way to introduce yourself." The older man remarked with a grin, admiring the spirit Kiba had introduced himself with. He snatched his hand in a firm handshake, "Nice to meet you Kiba. I'm sure this goes without saying, but please make sure to watch over Naruto for me."

Kiba laughed, "You make it sound like an easy job."

The tattooed boy stepped aside as Tenten pulled Sasuke alongside to greet their leader's father. Tenten seemed to nervously fix herself before folding her hands over each other and giving him a slight bow, "I-it's nice to meet you sir." She tried to calm her nerves at greeting someone respectfully, "My name is Tenten Tamura. I'm your friend's son - I mean I'm on your friend's team - I-"

"You're on Naruto's team as well?"

"Yes." She gave a defeated sigh at her flustered failure.

Minato didn't seem to mind the flub as he greeted her with a kind smile, "I'm glad to see there's someone on his team that will act like a voice of reason. It's very nice to meet you." Tenten seemed to abandon her earlier anxiety and smiled in return before they looked over at Sasuke, "And what about you young man?"

Sasuke just stared at the older gentleman in complete silence and took a moment to look him over. He realized he was being addressed and stepped forward with his hand out, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha." He said flatly, still trying to size the man up and understand what was happening.

Minato noticed his apprehension but didn't address it while just taking the boy's hand, "It's nice to meet you Sasuke." The Uchiha gave a silent nod and just stepped aside.

Ruby stepped forward with Yang following behind, the younger girl nervous to meet a new adult but eager to greet her friend's dad. They stepped up to the taller man and Ruby felt very conscious of the the height difference before steeling herself, "Hi there, Mr. Naruto's Dad." There was a loud palming of the face from Weiss but she ignored that and focused on the greeting, "I'm - uh - one of Naruto's friends. And I just wanted to tell you that he was really nice, and really cool, and funny too, and a totally awesome friend to have and stuff. Oh, and I'm Ruby Rose by the way! Not sure if I mentioned that."

There was a quick bonk to Ruby's head as Yang stepped forward, "Great intro sis, really leaving the crowd wanting more. Hey there, I'm Yang Xiao Long, and I'm the big sister of the little motor mouth you just met." Her sister didn't appreciate that description, gently knocking her fists on the blonde's back with a grumpy pout, "I'm also a friend of your kid's. He's a pretty decent fighter, but he could totally do better. And if he mentions anything about winning a sparring match with me, he's lying."

"No he's-"

Yang's hand clasped around Ruby's mouth and grinned, "He's lying."

The two sisters didn't get an immediate response from the older man as he just stared at them in surprise. He looked between them in shock and the two sisters shared a curious look. A little chuckle came out of the older man's mouth and he quickly looked back at Ozpin who just nodded in agreement. Minato turned back and smiled, "Talk about a walk down memory lane."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He deflected before properly greeting the young duo, "It's very nice to meet you both."

The sisters looked between each other before they were pushed aside by their white-haired teammate. She wasn't Naruto's closest friend but she had been raised to know how to greet respectful adults properly. She gave a small curtsy and smiled politely, "Hello Mr. Namikaze, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Weiss Schnee, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh." Minato awkwardly positioned himself to give a courteous bow in return before they stood up properly, "I didn't expect to meet another Schnee girl in Beacon of all places. Ms. Schnee, I had the pleasure of working with your sister on a joint venture not too long ago."

Weiss brightened up and looked positively ecstatic as the others were surprised at her reaction, "Really! A-are you acquainted with Winter?! Is she doing okay?!"

"Well I tried to strike up a few conversations with her but she was very...adamant on staying focused on the task. And she certainly seemed like she was alright. The last I saw of her she had just returned after killing an Alpha Wolf that threatened to attack our delivery. So...yes, I think she's fine."

Weiss was over-joyed to hear about her elder sibling before she looked back at the rest of the group expectantly. Her eyes focused on the black-clad member of their team that had failed to introduce herself yet to the headmaster's guest. That was setting the rest of her team in a bad light and she could not let that image stick, "Blake~." She violently jerked her head towards the tall blond, "Come over. Introduce yourself."

Blake walked out, staring at the man in front of her in silence before she offered a small nod, "I'm Blake."

...

That was it.

Weiss' was gobsmacked by the lackluster introduction as Minato nodded back, "It's nice to meet you."

Blake still seemed wary and hesitant but her lack of expression changed when she was immediately pushed aside by the blur that was Nora. The short tank dashed in and surprised Minato with her sudden arrival, "Hi there! So your Naruto's old man, huh?"

"Um?" Minato shrugged, "I suppose?"

"Man, that's crazy." Nora started circling him and looking him over curiously, "Because you look super young. You look like you could totally be his big brother or something. It's insane." Nora smiled up at him in wonder, "Are you like one of those super ancient old guys that steals people's youth so he can stay young and beautiful forever?"

"Um...no. And thank you, I suppose?" Minato struggled to find the right words to say to the strange girl, "No, I just stay active on the job and make sure I eat properly."

"That's the same thing Ren suggests too!" Nora dashed back and pulled her best friend forward to show the newcomer, "See! He's got the smooth skin and baby-face thing going on too! I think by the time he's fifty he's still gonna look like a twenty-year-old! Ren is so lucky."

...

"Oh, I'm Nora by the way. Hi!"

"Hehe, hello." This was a strange girl but Minato couldn't help himself from laughing at her irreverent talking and joyous demeanor.

Her partner stepped forward and offered his hand as Minato gladly took it, "Hello sir, my name is Lie Ren. The girl besides me is Nora Valkyrie, in case she didn't convey the full greeting." The girl smiled and waved behind them as he sighed and looked up apologetically, "I'm sorry for her abrasive introduction. She's a bit of a free-spirit. Very bohemian. I've tried to teach her some proper manures for meeting new people, but I suppose she prefers to break the ice with a hammer than a chisel."

"Oh, believe me young man, I completely understand what you mean." Minato stated, patting the boy's shoulder in a sign of solidarity as the orange-haired girl happily bounced beside them. The duo stepped aside and Minato was faced with the last two members of the large group of friends, "And who might you be?"

"Oh - hi, I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short. Sweet. Rolls off the - urm - anyway," Jaune stopped from repeating the familiar phrase as he wanted to make a good impression with the older man everyone else seemed to have impressed, "I'm a friend of Naruto's and I thought I'd let you know - well I mean you probably already know but I just thought I'd tell you anyway - that he's helped me through a lot of stuff and he's been a really good friend."

"I'm glad to hear that." Minato responded, "And I'm glad to hear he has so many friends he can rely on. I hope you'll stay by his side when he needs it most, Jaune." The boy smiled and nodded before he stepped aside to allow his partner to give her greeting, "Ms. Nikos, it's an honor to finally meet you in person. I come from Mistral as well, and I have to say that I was quite a fan of your showings during your tournament run. In fact I've met a Hunter or two over the years that could really benefit from following your determination and spirit."

Pyrhha looked at the man quizzically and nodded before she smiled politely, "Thank you sir." She looked back at him and tilted her head, "I'm sorry but you said your name is Minato Namikaze, correct?" He nodded, "Are you the same Minato Namikaze as the CEO of Skyggen back in Mistral?"

"The very same."

"Skyggen?!" Tenten blurted out in amazement and got their attention at her little outburst. The stick-user reeled back in disbelief, "That's the most famous independently owned Hunter contract company in Mistral! It's filled with some of the best Huntsmen and Huntresses in Remnant and they boast a near 100% success rate with missions and a 0% mortality rate! And you're the CEO?!"

"And founder." Minato said with a prideful grin at getting praised by one of his son's friends. He looked back to the young lady he was addressing, "To be perfectly honest, some of my employees suggested we scout you and convince you to join our organization before you left off to hunting school. All your positive publicity and powerful showings in the tournament must have been quite alluring to scouters and agents."

"That's an understatement." Pyrrha fixed a strand of stray hair and struggled to stifle the exhausted sigh she had remembering the not so fond memories of deflecting and warding off the swarms of potential managers and agents that wanted to sign up with her before she went to Beacon. She just forced the same smile on her face as she did back then and repeated the same line she said dozens of times over, "Thank you for the thought and offer, but I feel like I had a lot more to offer if I learned to fully develop my abilities and reach the potential of a true Huntress at Beacon."

"Well I'd get yelled at if I didn't extend an offer for you after graduation. I'm sure we'd still love to have you when you've completed your training." He dropped the serious expression and leaned in towards the redhead, "But just between us, I think you made the right decision. The fun. The fights. The people you meet and bonds you make along the way here. Way more worth it than getting stuck with a job so early on. You made a smart choice, Ms. Nikos."

Pyrrha blinked in surprise before smiling. Finally, an adult that understood her position on the matter.

"Ruby, put the notepad away."

"B-but he's a real Huntsman! One that saves people and fights monsters and does all the cool stuff! He's a part of Skyggen! I must have his autograph!"

"Ugh, you are so weird. And what are you doing Ice Queen?"

"Well I'm going to go back over there and reintroduce myself to Mr. Namikaze. You dunderheads and your complete failure to properly introduce yourselves to him probably left a bad impression. As a member of the Schnee family and representative of the SDC, it would leave a stain on my honor to let him leave before remedying your mistakes."

"You know you can't put brownie points into trying to get a job or starting a partnership with an organization like his, right?"

"You don't know that! I mean - I don't know what you're talking about.

Yang sighed between handling her sister and teammate while Blake just stood off to the side staring or something. She noticed Naruto standing near the rest of their group and just watching his father mingle with his friends. She stepped over to his side and nudged his shoulder teasingly, "So, your dad pops by and starts winning all your friends over in an instant. How embarrassing is that?"

His eyes peered at her through the corners before looking back forward, "Whatever."

"Okay but seriously, how have you never mentioned this guy before? A famous Huntsman. Leads his own group of badass Hunters to save the Kingdoms and junk. And as weird as it might sound, he's sort of a DILF. Never thought to bring that up in conversation?"

"No, it never came up."

"Seriously-"

"It didn't come up!" He said more forcefully, surprising Yang with his tone, "Just leave it."

"Geez, what's with-"

"Naruto." The whiskered boy looked up to see his father turning and facing him from a few feet away. The others were watching them as Minato spoke with a happy smile, "It looks like you found a nice group of friends to stick by, huh?"

"Yeah. I know."

He couldn't look him in the eye. Naruto shied away from facing him directly and decided to look down to a corner of the floor instead. The students noticed this change in the blond's normal demeanor as Minato's face fell into a sad gaze. The older man scratched his head, "Well, um, just so you know, I'm still in Vale until tomorrow. I'll be finishing up my business with Ozpin by - I'm not quite sure-"

"4. 5 at the latest." Ozpin answered to clear up any uncertainty.

"Oh, well that's perfect." Minato looked hopeful and spoke with joy in his voice, "Well if you want we could meet up some time around then and get something to eat?"

"I don't know if I can. I'll probably be too busy tomorrow." Naruto said weakly, his eyes periodically looking back towards the man before they turned away again, "It'd probably be better if you didn't waste your time like that."

"Oh." Minato said in return, his face falling even more before he forced a smile, "Well I already have my ticket set for about 10 at night tomorrow. So if there's any free time you think you could..."

Naruto didn't respond. Or show any sign of answering his dad's invitations.

Minato lowered his hands and continued to smile weakly, "Well...I'll hang around for a bit in the main courtyard. If you think you have any time to spare...I'll be there."

...

Naruto gave a small nod, his eyes meeting with Minato's for the briefest of moments before settling anywhere else. Ozpin stepped forward and grabbed Minato's attention, "We have a place you can stay for the night. We'll continue our conversation tomorrow."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I feel the jet lag starting to kick in anyway. Plus it's a school night and I'd hate to keep you all up any later." Minato yawned and chuckled before motioning back down the hall, "Lead the way." Ozpin did just that and started heading back the way they came as Minato followed. As they passed, Minato looked over at his son...

"It was good to see you."

He said with a hint of hope and a tinge of melancholy. Naruto just lowered his head further to keep his eyes away from his father as the two men made their way down the hall until they completely disappeared.

The others watched their headmaster and guest leave before turning back to their whiskered friend. The questions immediately going through their heads were the curiosity as to why Naruto had lied about being too preoccupied to meet his father tomorrow? And why he refused to meet his eyes? But before one of them could ask-

"I'm going to bed."

Naruto was already marching his way back towards his dorm room, leaving his team and friends to watch him leave. When they saw their friend round the corner and exit their sight, they looked bewildered at his sudden change in attitude, "Wow. So did anyone else feel the chill there for a second?"

"Naruto barely said anything to him. He couldn't even look him in the eye."

"Yeah, what was with that? His dad seems like a pretty cool guy."

"Sasuke?"

The Uchiha boy came out of his thoughts and back to reality as his friends turned to him for answers. His partner asked, "Do you know what's wrong with Naruto? I mean has he ever told you if something is wrong between him and his dad?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No. Never."

"He never talked to you about that?"

...

"He's never said anything to me before about his father."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_It was winter now and that was no more apparent than on the streets of this little island called Patch._

_The sky was a deep grey with light shades of clouds spread around randomly. Light sprinkles of snow fluttered down and covered the ground and streets in mounds of snow and ice. The pair of father and son crunched through the pileup of frozen precipitation as they waddled through to a playground that was devoid of any other people at the moment._

_"Geez, people must be bundled up in their homes today." Smart choice. Minato looked down at his son, "You sure you wanna play out here today buddy?"_

_"Uh-huh!" Naruto nodded, a big smile on the 8-year-old's face and his head protected in a warm beanie with an orange spiral on it, "I wanna play in the snow Dad! I wanna play in the snow!"_

_Man he looked happy. Minato could think of absolutely nothing to dissuade him. And honestly, he didn't wanna say anything either. He smiled and ruffled the beanie on his head, "Okay, well you go have fun." Naruto didn't even wait for him to finish before he immediately darted off for the snowy playground, "And remember we're going back to the apartment in one hour! We can't be late!"_

_Naruto didn't hear him. He just squealed happily as he dove forward and face-planted into a pile of snow. The only thing left visible was the imprint and the color of his bright orange jacket as he wiggled his way out of the hole._

_Now that was just adorable._

_Minato tightened the scarf around his neck and looked around before spotting a bench just off the patch of the playground. He wiped off the snow covering it before plopping down and getting comfortable while watching his son play. Naruto happily giggled running around the entire playground and playing with everything he could find. From sliding down the slides to climbing the monkey bars to spinning on the carousel with a powerful laugh._

_He hoped that they could find a playground like this to play on when they moved to Mistral._

_They were only stopping here in Patch for a week. Renting out an apartment while all of their stuff was being shipped over to their new village bordering the center of Mistral. They had loved Vale, and it would always be the place he called home for most of his life, but there were new opportunities they could explore over there._

_But this little place was nice. And beautiful. He wished they could stay until spring and see the snow thaw and be replaced with green and warmth, but the white and cold had its own charm. They'd keep playing out here a little more, get tired, then they go home and huddle up with Kushina and a blanket to watch a movie._

_Something they all needed during a move. Time to relax and just be together._

_..._

_"Oh shit. Don't tell me that's Pretty Boy Minnie I see in my little town."_

_Minato sat up, startled from hearing that familiar if annoying nickname again after...it felt like forever._

_The blond man looked over and saw a man standing just to the side of the bench, dressed in a grey dress shirt and wearing a red hood to protect himself from the snow. Minato warily sat up in his seat and looked the man over cautiously, "I'm sorry...do I know you?"_

_"Oh no. No way." The man grabbed his hood and flicked it back to reveal his spiky black hair and deep red eyes referring to the blond with a smirk, "Even if we haven't seen each other in years, no freakin' way you would ever forget this mug."_

_..._

_"Qrow?" Minato muttered as his eyes widened, "Qrow Branwen?"_

_"Good, so I won't have to smack you until you remember." The dark-haired man said with a grin as he shook his head, "Although I totally wanna smack you around a little just for old times."_

_"Old times?" The blond scoffed, "Last time I checked we never quite figured out who held the champion belt between us."_

_"Well that's just because I was going easy on you. Didn't wanna get scorned by all the ladies for beating up Pretty Minnie."_

_"Wonderful, you haven't forgotten that name." That stupid nickname was so embarrassing and ridiculous and annoying. And it was even more annoying when it started to spread. He thought graduating would have freed him from the burden of having to hear it again. Clearly not, "What are you doing here, Qrow?"_

_"Me? I live here man." Qrow strolled over and plopped down beside him with a grunt as he stretched out his legs and leaned back comfortably, forcing Minato to shift over and give him room, "I should be the one asking you what you're doing skulking around in playgrounds?"_

_"Really?" Minato looked at his fellow Huntsman incredulously as he just shrugged uncaringly, "All this time since we last saw each other and you think I'd be stalking around playgrounds?"_

_"To be honest I thought you'd be dead. I thought a lot of us would be dead." Qrow admitted as he pulled out a flask and started swishing it around, "You especially. You were always so noble and strong and willing to help everyone you could. I totally thought you would die first." Qrow took a swig before offering it to Minato with a chuckle, "Like one of those TV shows that like to subvert expectations and kill the hero off in the first episode. That was totally gonna be you."_

_"Wow. Thanks for the show of confidence." He thanked with a dry, almost annoyed tone as he denied the offered drink. He looked back out at the playground, "And no, I'm not here for whatever disgusting, honestly insulting reason you think I am. I'm here with him."_

_Qrow followed his gaze and spotted the little tyke climbing up the jungle gym. The hooded man looked between them a few times before chuckling, "No way. Seriously? You have a brat?" He nodded with pride, "Wow. I can't believe the same Minato from back in the day stopped chasing the ladies and actually settled down."_

_Minato sighed and turned towards Qrow, "Okay first of all, girls flirted with me and I never knew what to say. Second, nothing ever came of those flirts, and I know you know that."_

_He nodded, "Yeah, but it's really fun messing with you again." He laughed wholeheartedly, "I can't believe in just a few years I forgot just how delightful it is to torment you. I mean you were always smart and pretty tough, but your social skills and trash talk seriously sucked. Worse than anyone else."_

_"Yes Qrow, I remember." It was exhausting trying to readjust to this biting humor and snarky commentary again. He felt like he was back in school. He sighed, watching his breath freeze in the air before leaning back as well, "What about you, Qrow? Doubt you stopped over just to say hello to an old classmate. You understand it's cold out, right? I'm out here with my son. What possible reason could you be here?"_

_"Well if you really wanna know..." Qrow lowered the flask and pointed out at the playground, "I'm here for the same reason."_

_They looked over and saw Naruto happily climb to the top of the jungle gym to go down the tallest slide. He slipped into it and went speeding down-_

_"Eep!"_

_And almost directly into a little girl bundled up in warm clothes with a red hood walking at the bottom of the slide. Naruto quickly reacted, grabbing the sides of the slide and slowing himself to a halt just before colliding with the younger girl. Naruto fumbled on the slide and looked down at the girl that had frozen in fear, looking like she would keel over any moment, "S-sorry! I didn't-"_

_"Hey jerk!"_

_Another girl came running over and knocked the boy off the slide and into a pile of snow. He struggled out of the snow as the blonde girl in the sweater hugged the younger girl protectively. The girl in the hood hid deeper into the sweater as the miffed blonde glared, "Don't think I didn't see that! You were gonna hurt my sister, weren't you? Well I'll let you know I'm not gonna let anyone near her like that, so don't even try!"_

_"I wasn't trying to hurt her!" Naruto popped out of the snow, "And don't call me a jerk! That's a mean word! You can't call me that!"_

_"Yes I can!" The blonde girl argued and hugged the shorter girl, "And I'm calling you a jerk, jerk!"_

_Naruto frowned and turned away, "Whatever!"_

_"Hey, where you going!"_

_"Swings! I don't wanna stand around and get cooties from you stupid girls!"_

_"Hey, you're the one with the cooties! Ruby, c'mon, we're gonna show this jerk he's the stupid boy with cooties!"_

_"Ewwww! Cooties!"_

_"Yep! Gross!"_

_Minato watched the strange interaction between his son and the two girls before looking at Qrow, "You have children?"_

_"Pfft, no. Well, I might. Lord knows I've been accepted into a few strangers' beds during the cold nights to keep them warm and then awaken to sore mornings the next day." Qrow answered, bragging and inflating his ego as Minato groaned with disgust, "But no, they ain't mine. They're Tai's."_

_"Taiyang's?" _

_"That's right. The little firecracker over there is Yang Xiao Long, Tai and Raven's kid. She can be a real pain in the butt but God is she sweet." He smiled at the sight of his niece trying to get higher on the swing while Naruto easily reached greater heights. And watching them from a few feet away in amazement was the little girl in the red hood, "And the munchkin...that's Ruby. Ruby Rose. Tai's other kid...with Summer."_

_"Summer?" Minato looked at him in shock as all he could do was nod. Minato blinked and looked back at the little girl. The way her face hid in her hood. The turn of her hair. She looked like the spitting image but younger. She was Summer's..._

_"Hehe." Minato eased back in his seat, a smile coming to his face as he looked on fondly, "She did it. She really told him."_

_"Yeah. But it took a while." Qrow nodded, "Raven got there first, and it looked like they were a match made in heaven...but then Raven was Raven...and she just sorta wandered off somewhere." He sounded bitter and rueful recalling those thoughts, "Then Summer came in and healed the fresh wounds. Helped take care of the new baby and just brought so much warmth into a house I never knew could feel so homey. Then another little one was brought in and it just seemed...perfect, I guess. And then..."_

_And then one day...Summer didn't..._

_"Minato, I'm sorry for not sending you an invitation or a notice." Qrow said, his gravely voice filled with genuine regret as he lowered his flask, "I know how close you two were back in the day...but you gotta understand the kids were always crying and Tai was just inconsolable-"_

_"It's okay Qrow. I understand." Minato interrupted, "It...it must not be easy...helping watch these two after losing her."_

_"Yeah, 'helping'." Qrow repeated with spite as he grumbled under his breath. Minato took notice of this and thought to ask before Qrow chuckled, "Looks like my team doesn't quite appreciate yours showing off." They looked over and saw Yang attempt to grab Naruto while he continued to swing higher and completely outclass her efforts. He heard Ruby start to giggle and laughed, "You should tell your kid to watch out. He might be pretty good on a swing but he doesn't wanna mess with Yang. She's got a pretty wicked punch."_

_"I don't think that'll do much." He looked at Minato as the man solemnly shook his head, "Naruto already has his Aura activated."_

_"What? Seriously?" The other man asked, "He's only - like - 7, right? You unlocked your kid's Aura at that age?"_

_"He's 8. And it was much younger than that when we did it." His eyes lowered, "But we didn't have many options."_

_That was all Qrow needed to hear. He wasn't sure what the circumstances were that forced them into that position, but he knew there were circumstances. There always were. That was just the kind of world they lived in._

_Qrow scratched his growing stubble and sighed, "I guess this means he'll be aiming to be a Huntsman when he grows up, right?"_

_Minato shook his head, "I...really wish he doesn't." He looked over at his son, "I'd rather him do anything else in the whole world...but-"_

_"But your his father. And you have the misfortune of looking like a heroic badass." Qrow scratched his head and sighed, "Taiyang wants nothing more than for those two to grow up old and live boring lives. But I've saw them when they looked up at Summer. The way she stood and fought. The stories we told them about how we used to take missions and train. I see the wonder in their eyes and the way those stories reached them..."_

_He knew exactly what he meant because he saw it too. When he trained and Kushina and Naruto watched him, he saw Naruto looked up at him with such joy and wonder. When they watched the Vytal Festival and he saw the students fight for the first time, he couldn't look away from the screen. The heroes they told him about so many times in stories and the good they could do..._

_"Unfortunately Minato..." Qrow patted his shoulder as they watched Naruto leap off the swing at its highest point and land on his feet as Yang fumed and Ruby clapped, "I think we set our kids down this path without evening knowing it."_

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Why was he here? Why did he come here? Why did Ozpin bring him here? Why didn't he know they were coming? Why did it have to be now? Why did it have to be in front of everyone? Why did they have to notice him acting strange? Why did they have to be so observant? Why did he have to be so blunt? Why couldn't he think clearly? Why didn't he prepare better for if this ever happened? Why didn't he say anything?!

...

Why...couldn't he say anything?

"Mr. Uzumaki?"

The teen came out of his dazed state and realized he was in History. Oobleck was looking up at him while everyone else in the room turned to see why he was so silent. He must have not said anything for a while, "I'm sorry?"

"Well, Mr. Uzumaki, while you seemed to be off in dreamland I asked you if you knew the name of the practice that was popularized in opposition of the oppression of art during the Great War?"

Naruto just shook his head, his blank and distracted expression not once changing while under Oobleck's scrupulous gaze. The green-haired teacher fixed his glasses, "Well, would anyone else like to answer? Ms. Nikos, would you like to try?"

"Um...it was the Color Naming, correct?"

"That is correct. In opposition to the destruction of art and the oppression of individualism, people took up the practice of naming their children after or familiar with color. This practice, while not universally used, is still in large use today, as most of you are aware." The older Huntsman then turned to looked up at his unresponsive student and quirked an eyebrow, "Mr. Uzumaki, is there a reason you seem so preoccupied today?"

The boy mindlessly shook his head.

"Well unfortunately I can't have you distracted in my classroom." Oobleck stood up straight with his coffee in hand, "You either need to focus your attention on the lesson at hand..." He swung his arm out towards the door, "Or there's the door."

Naruto took a moment and looked over at the door and back to Oobleck. There was a palpable silence before he stood out of his seat and stepped out into the aisle. He bowed his head, "I'm sorry for wasting your time," Before he walked up the stairs and out of the classroom completely.

...

Oobleck looked around at the surprise on the faces of his students and could agree with their sentiment, "Well, I'll be completely honest, he's the first student in my time here who has actually taken up that offer."

"So does that mean-"

"No, Mr. Winchester, sit down."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"He just walked out of class? Just like that?"

"That's what Weiss said. And Jaune backed it up." Sasuke informed his partner as their team made their way back to the dorm to see for themselves what their leader was doing. He shook his head, "Apparently he barely reacted when the teacher asked him a question and couldn't answer at all. Then he walked out and didn't come back."

Kiba rubbed a hand down his face with an aggravated groan and stopped in the hallway. Sasuke and Tenten halted as well as the boy rubbed the bridge of his nose, "What is with him? I mean is he like this because his dad popped by yesterday?"

"Well, that has to be the reason, right?" Tenten asked with uncertainty, "What else could it be? He didn't say anything to us last night and he's barely said anything to us today."

"How bad did they leave things off for it to become like this?"

That was a good question. They had never seen Naruto look so reserved before. Angry? Yes. Sad? Sometimes. But they had never seen him be so silent and closed off before. Even Sasuke was at a loss for what they were supposed to do now. He thought he knew Naruto better than anyone else did. But now...

"God dammit." Kiba huffed, "This is becoming a real shit show." They wouldn't phrase it like that but there was an agreeable hum and nod from the duo. Kiba let out a long breath and shrugged, "So, how do we get him to see his dad?"

"You think that's the answer to this?" Sasuke inquired.

The tattooed Inuzaka nodded, "Yeah, I mean that's the whole cause of this crap, right? Figure out how we can convince him to meet up with his dad, they hash out all the dirty laundry or whatever, and problem solved."

Sasuke frown grew deeper and he argued, "Did it occur to you that since Naruto's been acting like this since his father arrived, maybe he's the source of the problem? And maybe we shouldn't be pushing him to face the source of that problem?"

"Yeah, it occurred to me." Kiba stated pointedly, "It also 'occurred' to me that if we don't talk about this, or see what's wrong, this stuff is just gonna fester and boil up. I mean c'mon Sasuke, you're closer to him than anybody. You gotta understand how stupid this is."

"Well what if he has a good reason for pushing that man away?" Sasuke stated in a fervor, "Abuse? Abandonment? Neglect? There could a good reason Naruto is cutting off like this!"

"We don't know anything about what's happening between them! Just because he didn't tell you about his dad-"

"He tells me everything." Sasuke said through clenched teeth as his eyes narrowed and turned a shade of red for an instant before reverting back into their onyx norm. He took a breath to calm himself down before looking back at his tattooed teammate, "If he never said anything about this before - not even mention it for the two years we worked together, then it has to be something serious. Something he would never even say. And I'm not gonna risk hurting him if he's trying to keep it buried."

"Yeah, I get that." Kiba motioned to the general outside, "But that guy is his dad. His blood. He needs him. Otherwise Naruto...he could get real messed up."

"You know Kiba..." Sasuke shook his head, "Not everyone is lost in this world just because they don't have parents or family."

"You're right. Not everyone has to be lost because they don't have those things." Kiba solemnly looked between them with worry, "But cutting off your ties like this? Ignoring them and abandoning them deliberately when they come to you...that puts someone in a very dangerous place. A place they can get lost in."

Sasuke's clenched fists suddenly opened and his eyes widened at what Kiba said. They lowered before he asked almost pleadingly, "How do you know that?"

"Seen it." Kiba answered with a heavy tone, "People abandoning their pets. People abandoning their close ones. Having them taken away. What it makes of them afterwards, voluntarily or not. It's awful. And if that happens to him-"

"Okay." Tenten finally interjected, stepping between the two boys with a concerned look on her face. She looked between them before lowering her arms, "We need to stop and take a moment to think this through. You're both right, okay?" She said evenly while making sure they were both focusing on her right now so they would calm down, "We need to be careful with this, but we can't just let this thing with Mr. Namikaze pass."

"Well, what do you suggest we do?"

"We need to think this through together. We can't be rash." Tenten said softly, "We don't need Naruto to think we're being too abrasive with this subject."

...

"Yeah well we got a time limit and he already thinks I'm an abrasive ass." Kiba walked around them and started for the dorm room, "Going in."

"Kiba wait! Dammit!"

He reached the door and opened it up only to pause in the doorway. Sasuke and Tenten came to his side and looked in to see Akamaru looking up at them from where he laid beside Naruto's bed. The big dog let out a sad little whine before turning back to the bed. They walked in and closed the door to see Naruto was lying on his bed and facing the wall, away from them and anyone else to see.

He might have been trying to sleep or he was just trying to get some peace, but it failed because he immediately knew they were standing by his bed. He didn't turn around to face them and shifted a little in place, "You heard what happened in class?"

"We all did. It's all people are talking about right now." Tenten said before she asked, "What happened?"

"I couldn't focus on the lecture. Just wasting time there. And he offered so I left."

"I don't think you were supposed to take that offer literally."

"Yeah well I did."

They shared a glance when they noticed the resignation in their leader's voice. He didn't sound any different than he did this morning, which was not a good sign. Tenten felt the pressure about approaching this topic but took the dive, "Naruto, do you wanna talk about it? If you do, we're all here to listen."

Let the offer sit out. Let him know that it was open and he could take it whenever he wanted. They were here for him and when he wanted to talk about it, they would listen.

"No. I'm fine, thanks."

Or he could completely reject the offer and keep them in the dark.

She lowered her eyes and shoulders sadly at her inability to convince her friend they could help. Sasuke patted her shoulder and Kiba stepped forward, "Your dad'll be waiting in the courtyard soon. What are you gonna do?"

He got surprised and annoyed looks from Tenten and Sasuke respectively for broaching the topic so brazenly. But subtle hints and offers to help were doing jack shit so he opted for just asking straight out. Naruto's small turn of the head was the only tell that he had heard him at all.

"I'm not going."

Figures. Kiba took a sharp breath through his teeth to calm himself down before he continued, "Well how are you gonna tell him? You wanna call? Text? Try smoke signals or code it? Or are you just gonna stay here and wait for him to leave?"

There was no response, which somehow pissed Kiba off more than if he chose the worst option from the list. He grit his teeth and pushed, "When was the last time you guys saw each other? Does he know about what happened these last two years? About Wilsk? About where you were?"

Akamaru stood up and trudged over to nudge Naruto's back, hoping to stir some kind of reaction from the fox Faunus. Instead of all his moves to mess and toy with the boy, the big dog's actions were much more caring and worried. Akamaru let out a sad whine and yip as he hoped the whiskered boy would respond. He wanted to make sure Naruto was really okay.

So he was sad when Naruto reached down and gently pushed his nose away without even looking.

"What is wrong with you?!" Kiba yelled furiously after reaching his breaking point with this act, "What is it?! What's so wrong that you can't even look at us?! Because I know you're better than just holding a grudge and throwing a temper tantrum at your dad!"

"Kiba!"

Naruto still didn't make a move and Kiba had enough. He activated his Semblance and grabbed Naruto by his shirt, "If you won't even look us in the eye to say this then-"

Salt.

He tasted and smelled salt and water in the air.

Like in tears.

Kiba froze and the room went quiet as he stared down at the back of his partner. Had...had he been...

Kiba looked down and saw Akamaru gently press into his side. He looked up at Kiba and whined sadly.

He could smell it too.

Kiba released his grip and deactivated his Semblance as his nerves started to calm down. Tenten and Sasuke looked at him strangely before he sighed and silently made his way over to his own bed, Akamaru following after him.

He sat down on his mattress and gently ran his hand over Akamaru's head as the dog rested his head on his lap.

He hated being quiet about something. Holding his tongue while a problem just sat there and grew worse. He had always been brash because that was the best way for people to open up and talk about the problems they had. But right now-

The boy looked over at his partner, his features and expression just out of sight from his position along the wall. His eyes shifted over to his teammates as they looked just as lost as he did. He pet his dog softly and muttered to himself, "Shit."

They didn't know what to do. Maybe this wasn't a problem they were going to solve.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Minato made his way through the town with a smile on his face and a few bags of groceries in each hand. Each one filled with an assortment of vegetables, meats, and preservatives to be put together into a delicious meal._

_He was going to cook tonight._

_Was he anxious? Absolutely. Was he worried? Desperately. But was he gonna back down?! Maybe if things go horribly wrong!_

_Okay, so he wasn't the best cook in the family. In fact in a family of three, he took home the bronze medal when it came to cooking ability. It severely hurt his pride to find out his ten-year-old son was more adept at the culinary arts than he was. But he also really enjoyed Naruto's cooking._

_But today was his day to try. He had practiced. He had taken lessons. He was going to be supervised by both Kushina and Naruto. _

_Chances of him not burning the broth this time until it somehow chars over? Personally he thought it was pretty slim._

_But it was gonna be fun._

_"What's going on over there?"_

_"It looks like something happened."_

_Minato came back from his thoughts to see some other people from around town start to gather around. It must have been some kind of show. He stopped over and joined the crowd to see-_

_"What the hell is wrong with you kid?!" A man said as he helped an old ox Faunus with a bloody nose sit up on the ground, "Why would you attack an old man?!"_

_Across from them and at the center of attention was Naruto, panting wildly with a frantic look in his eyes, "It's what he said! He's wrong! He needs to shut up!"_

_"This just proves it!" The old Faunus said with contempt as he wiped the blood from his nose and yelled, "I was right, you little brat! Bastard!"_

_"Shut up! Just shut up!"_

_"Calm down kid! And watch your tone!"_

_"H-he's the one at fault!"_

_"You're the one attacking people!"_

_"What's wrong with you?!"_

_"You little thug!"_

_"Hooligan!"_

_"Get away or he might attack you!"_

_People start murmuring between each other as their muffled voices turned into a deafening wall of incomprehensible sound. Naruto looked around in a panic, his fox ears twitching as his whole body went rigid, looking on the verge of passing out. He started hyperventilating before he grit his teeth and yelled, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut-"_

_Minato appeared in a flash and wrapped his arms around his son. And in another flash they disappeared from the crowd, bags of discarded groceries toppling to the dirt a moment later._

_They reappeared breaching the forest on the edge of town. Naruto quickly started back in fright before he realized his father had grabbed him and teleported them out, "Dad-"_

_"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"_

_Naruto flinched and cowered after Minato's angry voice burst out at him. The older blond looked down at his son with a furious expression, "We told you you can't fight people! Not anyone! And you attacked an old man in the middle of the street?!"_

_"I-I-"_

_"What were you the thinking?!" He gripped Naruto's shoulders and the younger boy looked up at his father with fear, "You have Aura! You've started training! If you use those things to hurt people, than you're no better than them! Or the bad guys! And if you lost control-"_

_"I wasn't gonna-"_

_"You can't let whatever they say get to you! We taught you that!" Minato yelled as Naruto seemed to tremble under his father's scrutiny, "So why would you attack someone like that?!"_

_"B-because he's wrong."_

_Naruto whimpered out through his hiccups and coughs. His eyes started to well up and spill tears and his voice hitched as he struggled to speak, "W-what he said was wrong. You're not a freak for loving Mom. M-Mom's not a traitor for loving you. A-and I'm..." The boy sniffed, failing to talk as the sobs started to bubble up before he choked out..._

_"I'm not a monster."_

_..._

_He said that...to a ten-year-old?_

_"I'm not. I'm not! I'm not a monster!" Naruto cried out before he pressed into Minato's shirt and hugged him tightly. The little Faunus continued to cry out sadly, clutching into his father for security before choking out, "I-I'm sorry Dad! I'm sorry!"_

_"It's okay. It's okay."_

_Minato quickly hugged his son closely and comforted him as the boy cried and mumbled into his shirt. He looked back to the town center he had taken them from and felt his anger and rage build up. A moment ago, he had reprimanded his son for giving into the words and taunts of a stranger and resulting in violence. But now he was relieved that Naruto had been the one to act that way._

_Because if it was either him or Kushina..._

_They may have killed the man._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ruby laid flat down on her bed with her face firmly planted in her pillow. The young Huntress-in-training let out a sorrowful moan that was muffled in the fluff of her cushion. She was super cozy and on most days she would have probably started drifting off to take a nap.

But today was not like most days.

The red-hooded girl's thoughts continued to linger on the well-being of her whiskered friend. His state of mind and reluctance to talk to any of them all day really worried her. She hated seeing one of her best friends look so sad and when she tried to talk to him and cheer him up, she couldn't even look into his eyes. It sucked being unable to help him and sit around waiting to see what happened.

It really sucked.

"Any updates?" She asked timidly, knowing she was probably pestering her partner and sister at this point but desperate to get any new news.

"Ughhhhh." There was an annoyed groan from both girls that somehow fell into perfect unison. Ruby dug her face in a little deeper into her pillow before she heard Weiss' voice directly under her, "You know there probably isn't going to be any major breakthrough when you keep asking us every 5 minutes for an update."

"Yeah but you don't know that unless we keep checking, right?" She attempted to rationalize with sound logic. Unfortunately the dead cold stare she got from Weiss in return made her regret opening her mouth.

"Compelling point you make there Ruby." Yang said sarcastically as she lounged back in her bed. The blonde boxer sighed and shook her head regretfully, "I don't know where Blake is but I'd kill to be with her doing anything else right now."

"I'm sure she's happy and content, laughing at us for being fools and sticking around." Weiss droned out as she pulled out her Scroll and started swiping over the screen. She pulled something up, "Nothing new has happened. I still have the same texts from Sasuke saying he isn't meeting with his father today."

"Same here." Yang waved her Scroll around for emphasis, "Tenten's really worried about him. Looking pretty bad when Naruto won't even meet with the guy to get dinner or say hi. Sucks for his dad."

"Maybe." Weiss said quietly as she crossed her legs and narrowed her eyes in thought, "Maybe he believes that man doesn't deserve to get what he wants. And so he's decided to stay away until he leaves."

"Get what he wants?" Yang repeated curiously as she sat up and looked down at the heiress with a quirked brow, "You mean seeing his son? You don't think that's just a little rough?"

"It might not be." Weiss simply shrugged, "We don't know anything about this man. Perhaps he wasn't exactly the most upstanding father figure back home." The heiress stated methodically, her voice even and cold.

Yang felt a grimace turn in her face, "You think? I mean the guy seemed pretty nice and polite yesterday when he talked with us. You think that was an act?"

"Believe me, I've seen people act very differently from how they present themselves in a public place when they're behind closed doors." That was the life she came from. A world where people wore sophisticated suits and spoke with refined tones and words. But when they were alone they revealed much more about themselves, their greed and plans and desires that trumped all else. That's how she knew the respected and regal form her father displayed to the world was just the mask of a man who could be very cold. She turned her head with a narrowed gaze, "It couldn't have been a glamorous situation if he chose to leave and get caught up in a life of crime as an alternative."

"Hey, we know they didn't choose to become thieves but - well, okay, you've got a point there." Yang relented while scratching the back of her head, "Some people do lie about that kind of stuff. But that doesn't mean all people just show a fake version of themselves in front of others, and not everyone has to have an ulterior motive for what they do. We have to at least believe that his dad is actually here to genuinely see Naruto again."

Weiss kept her eyes firmly planted to the side as she unintentionally let a scoff slip from her lips. Her following words however were much more intentional, "Of course you would think that."

"What does that mean?"

"It means not everyone has a wonderful relationship with their parents." The heiress said firmly with an annoyed edge in her voice. Whoever Yang and Ruby's parents were, they must have been much more present and comforting while they grew up than most. Yang was just so energetic and Ruby was bubbling with joy. There was no such thing as a perfect family but Weiss had to at least imagine theirs was...

Better.

Yang dropped down from her bed and stood up in front of Blake's as the blonde's eyes had shifted to red. She shook her head as her voice was sharp and angry, "Don't just look at us and think we've lived some perfect life. Alright, we've had problems too."

Weiss reeled back a little at the growl behind Yang's voice before looking up at the bed above her. She shook her head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply it like that. I just meant that some people have more...experience with their parents' bad side than most."

"Believe me, we know bad sides." The blonde said before spitting out, "There's a lot more bad about a parent than the fact they won't buy you that new pony you wanted."

Weiss looked up in shock before standing out of her bed as well, "Excuse me? You think I'm saying that because 'daddy didn't spoil me enough', that's my problem?" The shorter girl was much more venomous now when she spoke out against her taller teammate in insult, "It's not! My problems with my father are much more substantial than that!"

"Yeah well join the club!"

As the girls felt their emotions start to flare up in anger at each other and the things they had to say, they were interrupted when Ruby dropped down between them. The shortest girl popped back up and had her eyes focused on the door, a nervous and complicated expression on her face as she seemed completely oblivious to the argument she just interrupted. She stepped forward, her whole body rigid and mechanical as she opened the door. Yang's eyes changed back to normal and she shared a confused look with Weiss before asking, "Ruby? What're you doing?"

"I'm gonna go and talk with Naruto." She sputtered off without a breath before she left and headed to their friends' room next door. The older girls watched in disbelief before quickly following after her. Ruby had trouble talking to people as it was and now she was gonna try and give one of their friends advice?

This didn't look good.

By the time they exited the room, Ruby had already knocked and NKTS' door opened with Sasuke on the other side, "Ruby? What's wrong?"

"Is-um-" Her voice caught and she coughed to fix it, "Can I...talk to him?"

He was surprised by her request and looked over at Weiss and Yang for assistance as the two girls were just as confused. After a moment he stepped aside to let her walk in. When she did, she looked around the room to see everything looked the same since she was last here, with even the cat calendar hanging on the wall. She noticed Tenten sadly sitting on her bed in wait as Kiba sat on the floor, petting Akamaru as the dog rested across his legs.

She looked behind the door and saw Naruto's bed with the boy in question still facing away from everyone. She stepped closer and gripped the hem of her uniform skirt, "Naruto?"

The older boy took a moment and sat up in his bed to face her. Ruby quickly noticed the red beneath his eyes and the blank look on his face as he looked at her. He fixed his bandana, "Yeah Ruby, what is it?"

She took a deep breath, hearing a shuffle of feet as Yang and Weiss came over to the doorway to watch her. She suddenly felt very self-aware about the situation and how all of them were looking at her in wait. She started shaking nervously and felt parts of her get sweaty and-

"Okay! Okay, one sec! I-I need a sec!" She covered her face and trembled a little, "I think I walked in here without actually thinking about what I was gonna say." She avoided making eye contact with Weiss' disappointed stare and just took a deep breath. She was worried about speaking. She wasn't sure if this would work, and if it didn't then she'd probably be making other people sad too. Naruto might even get madder at her for saying anything. But, she wanted to help her friend and if this could do it...

Ruby peeked her eyes over her hands to see Naruto still watching her before they slid off. She took a shaky breath and steeled herself for whatever happened next...

"I can't see my mom anymore."

...

Everyone went quiet so that means she still had their attention. And she refused to look over at Yang, fearing that if she saw the dismayed look on her sister's face that she might crumble and stop completely. She looked back up at Naruto, who looked stunned from what she said before continuing, "I loved my mom so much. She meant everything to me. And to Yang. And to our dad. She was our world. But one day she went off on a mission and...well, she didn't come back. That was a really long time ago. And I can't remember real well what it was like around the house when she was still alive. But I'm pretty sure Yang does, and I know my dad does too. But me..."

She looked down and the tip of her foot rolled on the floor as she hesitated to continue, "I remember the best things about my mom. I remember she was pretty and really nice and made the best snacks. And she was my hero. But every year I get older and..." She shrugged, "I have a harder time remembering her. And I really don't like that."

She paused for a moment before she sighed and scrunched her nose, "And then there's my dad and he's a totally different problem. He's so overprotective and strict sometimes and he's always on our cases when we try to have fun. Every time I came back from training with Uncle Qrow, he'd look me all over to check if I had any scratches or bruises and ask if I was feeling okay. He'd even say that I should stop training altogether before I get too hurt. And I remember how sometimes he and Yang would get into arguments about not letting her go out to have fun with friends. He'd say she was too young and she'd say he was being too strict. And we'd be so upset with him that we'd think about never talking with him again. We'd feel like that for a while but we'd cool down and remember," She smiled fondly, "We're family. And the reason he's so worried about us all the time is because we mean everything to him. We forget that sometimes and he can still be bossy, but we love him. And we always will."

Ruby felt her heart pound faster and faster with worry and distress before with a deep breath she finished, "I know it's probably not the same thing you're going through. And you probably have a good reason you don't like your dad and stay away from him. But...he'll always be your dad, even if you hate him. And you're strong, so whatever it is that happened between you two, I bet you could get past it. And there's a chance that maybe someday he won't be around anymore and you'll...you'll be sad when he's gone. There are a lot of people that can't see their parents anymore, and I bet any one of them would take the chance to see them again if they could. I know I would. So please, please don't just cut him off like this." She stopped, taking a moment to stay in silence before she nodding while keep her eyes on the floor, "That's all I have to say."

It wasn't confident. It wasn't really wise. It wasn't profound like all that cool advice people share in TV and comics. And she said it while struggling to look up from the ground as she talked about a matter she was almost completely oblivious to and not very comfortable addressing. But what she said was what she honestly believed. And she had to hope that it could reach him somehow.

...

"No. No, you're wrong Ruby."

She flinched hearing him so quickly tell her what she said didn't work. She was scared to look up but forced herself to see just how angry he was. But when she did she didn't see a scowl or frown...

He looked scared. And sad. With eyes that looked like they would break into tears at any moment. She could feel the whole room focus on him as he sat on the edge of the bed and lowered his head. He shook it before looking directly up at her, "I don't hate my dad. I could never hate him. I love him more than anything in the whole world. He's the guy that always made me smile and laugh. He was the goofy dad who couldn't cook and made terrible names for stuff. He always told me off and was strict when I did something bad. And he taught me how to fight, and that I should do it to protect what I care about. He was the main reason I wanted to be a Huntsman." A weak smile came over his face, "He's my hero."

The smile faltered and turned into a thin line as he shook his head, "But four years ago...I made a choice. No one asked me to make it. No one forced me to make it. But I made it. It was a choice between staying where I was with him or going to...protect what I loved. And at the time I thought it was the right decision. But I knew that if I told him he'd stop me so I didn't. I didn't say anything to him. I just left." Naruto rubbed his eye and shrugged mockingly, "Why wouldn't I leave? It made perfect sense. I could go off and do the right thing and my dad would still be safe at home. He was the greatest Huntsman ever. He was strong and amazing. He could do anything. He'd be okay while I was gone."

...

"I thought of my dad as a Huntsman. I thought he was a warrior and a fighter and hero. I thought he was all these things...before I ever considered he was just a guy. A guy who one day found out that everything he cherished and loved just left him, without saying a word and without a second thought. I ran away from home and I didn't even give him an excuse. And I didn't contact him either. I couldn't. So for all he knew I just disappeared, from his world and his life...and I was probably dead somewhere."

The others listened intently in complete silent. Letting the boy confess his thoughts in full before they said anything.

"Then two years ago I got caught by Wilsk. And me and Sasuke were told to steal and take things in order to pay him back. And there were so many times during those years that I wanted to run again. I wanted to run and hide and go back to his side but it made me sick thinking about it. Because no matter how I thought about it I just kept thinking...I betrayed him. I hurt him. I lied and he had to pay the price. I couldn't even use a short sword anymore without thinking about all the things he taught me, and how I was just spitting in the face of it." He looked up and looked at Sasuke, "I refused to talk about him. Because if I had to think about the life I turned my back on then I'd just break and run away again. I wouldn't do that. But even then I still wanted to go back home and see him."

"But then I heard about Skyggen. I heard about all the people he saved and the good he was doing. How he was being a real Huntsman again to save the world. He didn't have to keep rotating jobs to keep us afloat. He didn't have to keep moving. He was living a better life and doing something good. I thought...he might really be happy now. Maybe he was happy...because the single biggest source of all his troubles was gone."

They knew he really believed that from the shudder in his voice. And they failed to say anything in opposition because they knew he wouldn't believe them.

"So I stayed away, no matter how much I wanted to go back home. Because I didn't deserve to go back to that place. I didn't deserve to have someone who loved me so much after I just abandoned him like that. I just wanted him to be happy. And if he could be happy forgetting about me or even...even hating me...then that would be okay." His voice was low, nearly coming out as a mutter but clear to everyone present by the absolute silence that gripped them.

His head dipped further until his eyes vanished from sight and his shoulders trembled, "So seeing him yesterday...seeing him so close again and so happy...I don't know what happened. I couldn't say anything. Do anything. I feel like my stomach twisted. I feel cold and sick, like I could throw up at any moment. And...I'm scared. I wanna ignore my dad - stay as far away from him as possible...because I'm afraid of what will happen if I face him again."

His hands gripped his bed tightly, "I want him to go on without me. I want him to be happy without me. I want him to live his life away from me. And I want him to hate me if he has to." Naruto paused as his voice hitched, "B-but I can't look him in the eyes anymore. Because if I did...if I saw how much better off he was after forgetting me...t-that my dad actually did hate me like I thought...I don't know what I'd do."

Tears started falling unbidden down Naruto's face as his body started to shake. He struggled to keep some semblance of control as he grit his teeth and closed his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. He hated this feeling. This cold chill through his gut and spine. The hatred. The fear. The regret. He wanted to stop feeling this. Stop remembering just how horrible he felt. He wanted things to go back to normal, even though he knew he didn't deserve that luxury. He worried his friends. His team. And now they knew what he had done. And just how terrible he was.

He just wanted it to stop.

Even if the pain was just stifled down...even if he always had these horrible feelings brewing inside of him...he just wanted them to stop right now. He just wanted some peace.

...

"T-that's not true."

He heard Ruby hiccup and looked up to see tears running down her face too. The silver-eyed girl struggled to suppress her sobs and rub the tears from her eyes as best she could. She looked back at him, not with pity or disappointment but with focus behind her teary eyes as she shook her head, "That's not true. There's no way that's true. And I won't believe it." She furiously shook her head as her hair whipped about with her movement, "You don't deserve to just sit like this! You shouldn't think that sitting here and suffering is gonna solve everything! Nothing's gonna be better if you have to be so sad and your dad doesn't even know it!"

She refused! She refused to believe this was the right thing to do! She had felt sad before, making mistakes and completely blaming it on herself! But she had Yang and her dad to talk her through and she got better! So there had to be a way to fix this! If not, then at least someway to get him to talk to his dad again! Because any answer that left Naruto so miserable and sad was one she would not accept!

"What I did-"

"It happened. You can't change that, right? And you already feel bad about it. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"What could I say to him after all this time?"

"J-just say anything. Please, just anything."

...

"What if he really hates me?"

"He's your dad." She choked, dreading to imagine what it would be like to be in the same position as him as her eyes started watering again, "He's always supposed to love and forgive you when you mess up. That's what parents do." Too simple and idealistic, but kids had to believe in that sometimes, "It'll probably be hard, and it'll hurt too, but you have to see him again. If you do...it'll work out."

Naruto was silent, looking down at the wooden floor before looking up with uncertainty, "You really think so?"

...

"I have no idea." She answered with a choked laugh and as much of a smile as she could muster, "I've never been a parent."

It took a moment of tense silence over the whole room before a dry chuckle came from Naruto. Maybe it was the realization that it wasn't gonna be as easy as just going up to his dad and hoping for the best to happen. Maybe it was the feeling of dread that he knew this would only stop if he faced his dad again and accepted whatever happened. Maybe it was the fact that Ruby had basically repeated the same line he said to her the first day they met and she was the one desperate for guidance. Whatever it was, it made Naruto laugh for a moment before stopping.

Naruto took a deep breath that came back out as a shaky sigh. His hands tensed around his comforter, followed by his whole body going still before he finally stood up. He took a step forward, passing her as she looked up to him and he just focused forward.

"Thank you."

That was the last thing she heard him say before he continued past her and out the door. Ruby stayed still and listened to his footsteps disappear in the hallway before he was gone. She lowered her head, her face softening into a mix of worry and sadness. Worry for her friend and the relationship he was going to try and fix. And sadness at all the memories she brought up for herself and no doubt for her sister. She turned around, "Yang-"

She immediately found herself in the warm, comforting embrace of her sister before she even finished saying her name. She felt Yang's arms tighten around her protectively and could have sworn she heard a sniffle in her ear and a drop of water on her shoulder. Yang kept her face hidden from her in the hug but spoke in a soft voice, "I'm so proud of you."

Ruby blinked in surprise before looking over the room. She saw Weiss standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, a contemplative and far off expression as she looked anywhere but towards them. She saw Tenten on her bed, wiping her eyes clean with a small sniffle every few moments. Kiba continued to pet Akamaru softly and attempted to keep a strong look on his face. And Sasuke just on the edge of his bed, looking like he was shocked and in complete disbelief of what he just heard.

Ruby just lifted her arms and returned the hug from her sister as tightly as she could. She didn't want to imagine being in a situation where she couldn't talk to Yang or Uncle Qrow or even her dad. And she just hoped that Naruto could find some resolution with his own dad.

She remembered something Blake said to her the first time they talked, about her having a naive and childish look on the world. And what she said to Naruto might have only enforced that idea if she was here to see it. She didn't know how this would end for him.

But she knew how she hoped it would turn out.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Minato silently paced around the main courtyard of the campus while taking a deep, nervous breath every few minutes. He didn't want to stop because if he did, he worried he'd start tapping his foot so hard he'd hammer into the concrete of the path. And that just wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now. Plus, how much of a jerk would he have to be to come back here after such a long time being away and the first thing he did was tear up the courtyard?

He was getting off track. What was he doing again? Oh right, having a nervous breakdown.

The professional Huntsman continued to just walk laps around the main path of the campus to pass the time. He took a few moments to admire the statue that stood in front of the school and the architecture that still looked so pretty. He greeted students that greeted him first, either just being polite or trying to stall him while they went to warn Glynda that some stranger was walking around the court in the evening for no apparent reason.

He finally gave into the worry in his belly and dropped down on a bench before he lost all strength in his legs. The blond man looked around, hoping to spot some sign of his whiskered son anywhere along the path before looking down in worry.

He dreaded to accept it, but he knew there was the possibility that even when he came here, Naruto might not want to meet him again. He just came and offered this get together as a chance to prove that wrong. And hopefully, he'd still get that wish somehow.

...

"Please come out. I feel like an animal in the wild being documented for its every move."

The older man looked over to the other side of the bench as a pretty young girl with black hair and a bow came around to face him. He quickly recognized her as one of the students he had met last night among Naruto's friends. The one that didn't say anything, "Oh hello. You're, um-"

"Blake." She quickly filled in, "Blake Belladonna."

"Well hello, Ms. Belladonna." He quickly greeted with a nod to the young lady. It had become a bit of a habit to greet someone he did not know with a nod and repeating their name. But that's how he did it back in Mistral when accepting a job. He didn't get so many clients by laying back and saying 'sup. He turned more to face the student that continued to look him over like he was in a close examination, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"No." She simply stated. After a moment the girl with the bow seemed much more aware of the situation and apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so curt, or so disinterested yesterday when we met. It's just," She couldn't seem to find the right word, "I'm not quite sure what I was expecting when I saw you."

He tilted his head curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Well...you are human, correct?"

Minato was silent for a moment before nodding, "Yes. And I suppose if you are going to ask that question at all, you must know that Naruto is a Faunus?"

She nodded.

"And you're a Faunus as well, am I right?"

She stood up taller in surprise and stuttered, "H-how did you-"

"I noticed your bow twitch when you apologized."

Blake just narrowed her eyes and scowled, not at Minato but in general. She was becoming more and more tempted to tape her ears to her head if that meant they'd just stop twitching all the time! Or maybe she could trying getting a piercing and staple them down! She grumbled but relented, "Yes, I am a Faunus."

"And the fact that his father is human...does that trouble you?" Minato inquired, "Because you wouldn't be the first."

"No. No that's not it." Blake stepped forward before jerking back, wondering if this was really a situation she could intrude on when she was basically just a stranger. But Minato seemed to notice her hesitation and offered her the empty space on the bench. She paused for a moment before sitting down besides the unfamiliar man and trying to put words to her uncertainty, "I just wondered if the fact he never spoke of this to me before was because he wasn't sure how I would react to it."

Minato raised his brow in bewilderment, "Do you two speak often?"

"No." She denied before stopping, "Well, I suppose we speak more often than I thought. And we never intentionally try to open up about our pasts." Though lord knows their conversations somehow seemed to end at that repeatedly. She looked to the side in thought and moved a strand of hair from her eye, "But I was curious why he never seemed to talk about or even mention his parents. He only ever spoke of you in passing, so I had believed that maybe you were both, well..."

Minato nodded and looked at the young lady quizzically, "What has he said about us?"

"He mentioned that you were the one that taught him how to fight with a blade. And I believe once he said something about you not having a good sense with naming things."

"Well that's just ridiculous. All the things I name are great."

"But the most definitive thing he has ever said about either of you would be the fact that you moved around a lot when he was a child." She looked at him, "Was that true?"

"Oh yeah, unfortunately, that's true." The older man said with a tired, worn frown at remembering those memories that left him so tired and dreary, "We were always moving. Sometimes because I had new job offers that could provide for the family better than the last one. Sometimes because people were still hesitant to accept a family like ours trying to make a home. And sometimes we moved because we just needed to move."

"I'm sorry." Blake apologized earnestly for the horrid display of discrimination he and his family had to endure. It wasn't bad enough when one side hated the other, but when both sides hated you for falling in love and making a family with the other race, that angered her greatly, "You and your wife never should have been treated like that." And she paled at the thought that Naruto, someone she was familiar with, had to go through something like that so young.

"Thank you. It's nice to know someone so young knows what can be considered right or wrong. Brings hope for the future. However I should probably correct you...because we weren't married."

Blake didn't outwardly react as she kept a still, calm expression on her face while she processed his words. She thought about the circumstances, their situation, that would stop them from making that commitment. She just stared at him for a moment, looked aside, before finally realizing, "You weren't able to marry."

"Get denied a few times by most officiators and you start getting fed up." He just smiled and seemed to let the fact roll off like water from a duck's back, "After a while we didn't care about the title. We lived together. We had our fights. We loved each other. We knew what we were. And so did everybody else." A self-satisfying smirk came to his face as he laughed, "I bet they were all just jealous."

Denial. She noticed it in his voice. He was smiling and speaking with mirth but the glint in his eyes before he looked away and the sharp, dark finish to his words said it all. You can attempt to hide the fact as much as possible, but the truth was fairly simple. No one could handle being denied the right to call the person you love husband or wife. Blake decided to snuff those thoughts and let a smile small come to her face to agree with his statement, "I suppose you're right. You sound like a very strong couple."

"I certainly thought so."

Past tense. Blake took note almost immediately. She also noticed how the prominent smile on his face thinned out into a much less noticeable one, staring out sadly into the court with a look of longing. She didn't want to pry, but she really felt her interest pique at the topic, "What was she like?"

"She was amazing. She was always filled with energy and charged into everything with the biggest grin I'd ever seen. And she was strong. And terrifying too. Always scared people away with a scowl and snarl of her teeth. And she loved Naruto. Loved him more than anything in the world. Which was why I was worried sometimes because...she didn't have the most glamorous time growing up."

Who does?

"She had a very strong opinion of people growing up. Mostly humans but...other people too. Result of having a less than," He frowned for a moment before shaking his head, "Well, an utterly deplorable waste of space as a guardian. But thankfully this outlook didn't stick with her forever. But despite shedding the worst of it, she still was a bit short to meet people and even worse trying to trust them. And it took a long time for me to finally convince her that she could. I think she got better, and she was happier too, but you have to understand that living most of your life with a certain perspective leaves a strong impression. And even if you see things in a different light, that perspective can still be prevalent. Especially when the people you have such a hard time trusting look at you and your family with spite."

Raised on an ideal...a singular belief with the methods and philosophies backing them...she was very familiar with that lifestyle. Some people could be raised to aim for world peace. Some could be bred for hatred. It all depended on the person teaching them.

And it sounded like Naruto's mother drew the short straw.

She heard a sigh and saw Minato run a hand through his golden hair as he sat further back into the bench. He lowered his head, "She wanted to avoid passing that on to him. Whatever she felt or believed or hated, she wanted her son to be born with a fresh slate. Not having to feel any of that inherent rage or anger towards people that looked at him differently. I think she was hoping she could raise a son that wouldn't be burdened by the same feelings she was. And I suppose I did as well." He cupped his hands together and sat forward, "We taught him he shouldn't fight unless as a last resort. We taught him not to feel provoked or egged on by the things people might say to him. To take whatever came at him or was said to him with a smile, because otherwise they would win."

His eyes closed for a moment and he took a deep breath, "It seemed so simple at the time. He was so tough and we thought it would work out if things kept looking as good as they did. But the times he came home with a smile on his face and...and his eyes red from wiping them so hard so we wouldn't see...I never felt like such a failure. I didn't know what to say. What I could say? Tell him to stop doing what we asked him to do and hate the people that ridiculed him? Tell him to persist on and just ignore what was being said to him? If I just knew the right thing to do I could have fixed everything. Acted better. He wouldn't have run..."

"..."

The Faunus girl watched the older man silently lament poor decisions and regrets he couldn't have ever possibly planned for. A lame chuckle escaped as his smile grew, "He's taller. His voice got deeper too. And he wears something over his head now too. He's changed so much since I last saw him. And...and I never got to see that change."

Blake felt a tinge of something twist in her heart as she looked at the man for a moment. She softly spoke, "I'm sorry that matters led to you and him being separated like this for so long. I really wish things could have been different for you both." Blake honestly apologized and gave the older man her sympathies, "Parents and children need each other. The importance of that bond can be forgotten in the heat of arguments and disagreements, but it's always there. And it always will be." She certainly believed that, "I'm sorry Naruto won't be coming to meet you today. But if you want I can speak to him another time. And maybe you can try again."

Minato was quiet before he chuckled lightly, "I don't think that's necessary."

"Why not?"

He looked up, "Because get to know him a little better, and you'll realize that he can still surprise you sometimes." She stared at him strangely before he motioned behind her.

She looked back to see Naruto approaching them at a steady pace, wearing his school uniform with the jacket and tie removed and his orange bandana still around his head. The whiskered boy looked up and quickly noticed her sitting by his father. He stood there in shock before hanging his head.

Blake quickly realized that she would be intruding on their reunion and made her move back to the school. As she passed by Naruto, she heard him mutter out, "What was that you said once about me being too earnest and willing to face my problems? Do you still think that's true?"

"You're here, aren't you?"

He looked up and saw the small smile she gave him to lift his spirits. She gave him a quick nod and continued down the path to leave the estranged father and son to their business. Naruto had instinctively looked at the ground and violently shook his head before looking up at his father, "What were you two talking about?"

"Well lots of stuff. Actually, we talked about more than I expected."

"Yeah, she has that effect. Makes me think she could be a psychiatrist or something in secret. If she wasn't so against the idea of talking to most people."

"..."

"..."

Awkward silence.

Naruto coughed and exhaled slowly, "Dad, I need to-"

"Hey hey hey, hold on." Minato quickly stopped him before he could say anything else. The older man sighed and showed a nervous smile to his son, "I know there's a lot we should talk about, but I did say this was a chance for us to get something to eat. Why don't we do that first?"

Get something to eat? Naruto would be opposed to the idea if the alternative didn't give him such a serious sense of worry and dread. Plus, he hadn't had breakfast or lunch today. And he was very hungry. He agreed with a small nod, "So, where should we go? I think I know a few places in the city if you want to try them."

"Actually, I got a suggestion from Professor Ozpin yesterday. And I think it's a good one."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Ramen.

A bowl of ramen.

A bowl of ramen slid down the counter top and stopped directly in front of Naruto in this little shop called A Simple Wok. A place where if you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd almost certainly miss it. Naruto just stared down at the massive bowl of delicious looking noodles and the enticing aroma of broth. His eyes widened to the point of saucers as he stuttered, "H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-How?"

"Apparently, this place is easy to miss. Luckily Ozpin knew exactly where to look." Minato said with a grin as he smiled and thanked the elderly owner of the joint who quickly nodded in return before working on the next batch of ramen. Minato looked back to his son, "You wanna dig in?"

"I-I'm okay, really."

"You're drooling."

Naruto quickly wiped his mouth. However it did nothing to stop the literal waterfall of drool cascading down his chin at the sight of his favorite meal in front of him. Naruto felt his spirits weaken. His willpower fade. All semblance of control simply shrivel up as his belly churned and growled desperately. He knew how long it had been, down to the second.

Oh screw it!

Naruto didn't waste another moment and quickly dug into the bowl without hesitation. Minato watched in amazement as he devoured his noodles and drank up the broth in under a minute. He slurped up the last of his meal before slamming the bowl down on the counter and giving a long satisfied sigh. A blissful smile came over his face, "And the fast has ended."

"Geez, how long has it been since you last had this stuff?"

"Too long."

"Well fortunately this place sells relatively cheap. So let's dig in."

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure, what is it?"

"How in the world did you ever come up with a name as simple and cool as Skyggen?"

"Oh, I didn't. There was a meeting with all the initial people I invited to work with me and we threw around names we thought would work out. My first offer was 'The Association of Huntsmen and Huntresses from around Remnant for the Mission of Acquiring Peace and Tranquility For All'. Or AHHRMAPTFA for short. But it didn't get many takers."

"Thank god."

"Hey!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"So these guys had us surrounded, automatic weapons in hand and nowhere to go. My partner was guarding the hostages, trying to calm those kids down before the kidnappers did anything stupid. I figured if they were smart they wouldn't risk firing when the kids were in the line of fire. Unfortunately these guys were pretty stupid. The leader raised his gun and had my head in the crosshairs."

Naruto forgot his milkshake as he listened to his dad's adventurous tale, "What did you do?"

"Well, I threw a knife so far down the barrel that the bullet had no power or room to leave the gun. I came in and knocked the guy out while my partner dashed through the crowd and got the kids out of there. After that the kidnappers just sorta went crazy and started firing randomly in every direction. They didn't have their Aura unlocked so the moment a bullet hit them they basically went down. So there I was, a guy standing over a bunch of moaning idiots with bullets in their legs and their kidnapping attempt totally foiled. We busted them, returned the kids to their parents, and got our pay. A pretty easy first mission if I say so myself."

"Wow." Naruto fell back into his chair and took a sip from his drink as his father did the same. After finishing their meal, they had made their way over to a café so they could talk for a bit. He had been getting texts from his friends asking how things were going, mostly from Ruby because she was freaking out that she forced him into something bad. The thing was...

He didn't know how it was going.

There was a tension. Even someone as dopey as him could feel the underlying atmosphere around the two of them. It was heavy and felt awful. But the conversation and talk they had made him feel natural. He was happy to be able to talk like this again. Like how they used to talk years ago. So...he didn't really know what to call this.

He just smiled and laughed, "I actually did something similar the first week I was here. I threw a knife into the barrel of Yang's gauntlet and it exploded against her. She was super pissed because that was the last hit she took before her Aura dipped and I won our match."

"She told me that you winning is a lie?"

"She's just a sore loser. And as much of a poor winner as I am. She doesn't wanna admit I totally kicked her ass that first week. And I dread ever having to fight her again because she is extremely terrifying."

"That sounds like a normal day at Beacon."

"Was that what it was like when you came here?"

"Pretty much. Never a boring day. But that was mostly because the friends around me never made them boring." Minato lounged back in his seat with a laugh, "It was nice going through those halls again."

"What was it Ozpin asked you to come over for anyway?"

"Oh, he offered me this opportunity and wanted to see if I was interested in taking it. I'm a little on the fence to be honest, but I'll have a proper conversation with the others at Skyggen when I get back." He waved it off, "But I'll worry about that later. I wanna hear about you and your friends."

He blinked in surprise but Naruto quickly obliged, "Well they're awesome. They help me through everything. Hell, they get me through just about everything that happens at this school. I wouldn't be here right now without them." He spoke with such joy and relief to be thinking about his friends.

"What do you think about them?"

About them? Where does he start?

"Well, I guess I don't really need to wonder what it would be like to have siblings anymore. My team basically has that covered. My partner Kiba is a bit of an asshole. I totally know he loves screwing with me just for the joy of screwing with me. So the times when I can get back at him are all the more worth it. But I know that he's super loyal to helping our team when we need it, and he has my back through everything. We're at each other's throat sometimes, but I'm really glad he's my partner. Then there's Sasuke, who's been my best friend for awhile now. He's been by my side and helping me through the thick of it, helping me train and get stronger. He always knows when I've made a mistake and helps me see the best way to fix it. I owe him my life, and so much more. And Tenten is like the older sister I always asked you if I could have. She makes sure I wake up and eat properly and never forget anything I need to do. And she's so nice and caring but she can be so determined. She might be better with a knife than I am and that's saying something! And she's pretty stubborn but you have to be to fight Pyrrha with a new weapon and force her to take it seriously."

Team NKTS.

"Oh, and Pyrrha. God, Dad you've never seen anything as amazing as when she fights. It's like an art or dance or something because she's so fast and beautiful. It's majestic. But she's not all mean or rude like you think most pros or celebrities would be. She's the sweetest, kindest girl who is always more worried about others than she is herself. Speaking of sweet, Nora seems like she's always on a sugar high. She dashes around and it feels like she's everywhere at once, always going on about something random with the biggest grin ever. But it's when she's running around like that that I suddenly feel more energized and wanna push myself further. She's like a constant battery that just revs everyone up to do their best. Which still surprises me that Ren can stick to her side so often, but I can't imagine them away from each other. She might be the constant fuel of energy, but Ren is the smart guy that always knows how to get her to focus and make sure she's okay. He doesn't usually talk but he's always concerned about his team. And then there's Jaune, who's a total goofball and weirdo. But he's so kind and honest and always doing his best. I look at him holding his sword and shield and I just sorta imagine him standing up as tall as possible with people watching his back. Like a real knight would."

Team JNPR.

"And then you pretty much met Team RWBY. Weiss is a stick in the mud through and through. I'm pretty sure she made an opinion about me the moment we met, and I can safely say that I haven't done much to improve that opinion. But I know she's been warming up to Ruby and helping her adjust, and Sasuke tells me she can be really cool if she wants. So even if she might not like me, I like her a lot more. Yang is probably the toughest girl I've ever met. She takes on every challenge she meets with a big grin and sometimes even I'm worried that she might be too crazy. To this day I can't believe I won that match against her, and I'm pretty sure I'll always hold that as one of the biggest accomplishments in my life. Blake, well, you saw her. She's just cool and calm and I always find myself wanting to talk to her. And even though she can be pretty quiet, she's insightful and smart and is always someone I can talk too. I know she probably finds me pretty annoying, but I'm glad she's my friend. And Ruby...I really don't know how to describe her. It's like I look at her, being a kid and dumb and stuff but...I can see that's she's gonna be something amazing. The kinda Huntress that changes the world."

Team RWBY.

Those were his friends.

A group of oddballs, weirdos, misfits, and freaks that by no means should have ever met each other.

"Those are my best friends. And I still can't believe I was lucky enough to meet them."

He spotted Minato smiling and could feel a swell of pride knowing that his father thought so too. Years ago, Naruto never believed he would have a friend in the world. And now, he was surrounded by them.

"It's time for me to go."

What?

Naruto looked up and saw his father take out his wallet and start to count off Lien to pay for their drinks. He looked around and saw that it was already dark. They had been out for a few hours now. He was going to catch his flight back to Mistral.

He hadn't even realized how quickly time went.

Was this it? Had they finished already? What happened now? They had just been talking about other things this whole time. They never even breached what Naruto thought they came to talk about.

Was that it?

Was it over?

Would he get another chance to talk with him? Would they see each other again? What was he supposed to do? What could he say-

And suddenly it came to him. Like a brick landing in his stomach. Like ice going through his back. He knew what to say. He hesitated...but Ruby and the others came to his mind and he found it in himself to finally speak.

"I'm sorry."

Like that, the air around them seemed to still as Minato stopped putting down Lien. The older man looked up and quickly noted how Naruto eyes were probably filling with water. Naruto tried and failed to compose himself as he shook his head. There were no was nothing he could say to absolve his actions. He took a deep breath, and looked directly into his father's eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I did. For everything I did. I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I never told you. I'm sorry I didn't come back. And I'm sorry I never even tried to tell you I was okay." He shook his head, "I'm sorry I never told you I was at Beacon, and that you had to hear from Ozpin. And if he told you I was here, he probably told you what I was doing before coming here too." Minato looked at him solemnly, and Naruto got his answer from that, "I took what you taught me - everything you taught me - and I just stepped on it. I didn't deserve to learn how to fight from you. And I don't deserve to still be a Huntsman trying to follow in your footsteps. I tried to survive, and do what I could to get out, but none of that is an excuse. I wanted you to move on and forget about me completely, so you could be happy doing what you're doing now. But I realize I was just being selfish. I just wanted to make it easy on myself, but I don't deserve to get off like that." All the anger and hate he felt...he considered that getting off easy, "But most of all...I-I'm..."

He lowered his head, his tears trailing down his cheeks and falling into his lap. He choked out, "I-I'm sorry it was for nothing. E-everything I tried to do. Everything I thought I could do. In the end, I failed. I couldn't be the Huntsman I wanted to become. I couldn't keep away from you and make your life easy. And despite how hard I tried," He yelled through grit teeth, "Despite everything I did, I couldn't protect her! I couldn't save her!" He grit his teeth, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He laid it out bare. He said everything he thought he could say. Whatever happened next, he would accept. No more excuses. He did what he did, and now he faced the punishment.

"I don't know what was going to happen when I came here. I thought about it for hours on the flight." He heard his father toss the cards on the table and slide his chair back, "I thought about what I would feel when I saw you again. Would I feel happy? Overjoyed that you were okay? Relieved that you were alive? Or sad that you never came home? Angry that you left in the first place? Disappointed that you never thought to tell me? Enraged that for years I had thought you were dead." He heard his father stand up, "I guess in the end, I felt all of it when I saw you. Seeing you again, I just wanted to cheer and scream and roar and cry. Seeing you...I felt every one of those emotions boil up to the breaking point again."

He heard Minato's footsteps like he was walking away. Naruto dipped his head further and forced himself not to chase after him. He didn't have that right. If his father wanted to cut ties-

"But in the end I know what I felt most."

Naruto suddenly felt a gentle hand rest on the top of his head, making him sit up as the hand gently pat his bandana. The boy looked up, and was met with a kind smile from his father...

"It was pride. Pride seeing you stand there in that hall, fulfilling your dream. Pride seeing the man you had grown up to become. Pride knowing how much you've grown and the people you've gotten to stand by your side. Pride knowing you can realize your own mistakes and take responsibility for them. I know she doesn't blame you. And I don't either. We still got a lotta things to work through, but Naruto..." Minato bent down a little so his forehead nearly touched his son's and grinned, "I'm so proud of you."

...

He was speechless. He felt the hand lift from his head. He watched his father smile and walk off, saying something about seeing him again soon. He didn't know. He wasn't listening. Everything around him...it just went blank. Naruto lowered his head again, his shoulders trembling-

"Dad!"

He umped out of his chair and caught his father in a tight embrace. Minato looked surprised, hearing Naruto take a deep breath as he whispered, "T-there's gonna be a break in a few weeks when the semester is over. If it's okay...can I come back home?"

...

Minato returned the hug, "Sorry, but I moved. But you can come visit the new house if you want. I can show you around and introduce you to everyone. And there's a room for you. There has always been a room for you."

"Thank you."

"I love you Naruto."

He felt like something lift off his back. Like for the first time in years, there wasn't something bearing down on him anymore. Guilt. Shame. It wasn't gone. He would still regret doing what he did. But right now...just right now...

"I love you Dad."

He was free of his burden.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"So your mom and your sister are-"

"Yep. Dog Faunus. Both of 'em. Mom's a Faunus. Dad was human. Had two kids with different results."

Tenten and Sasuke looked at the picture on the Scroll of a younger Kiba, holding a pup Akamaru, with his older sister and mother standing right beside him with their brown ears poking up from their hair. He quickly took the Scroll back and resumed petting Akamaru as he shrugged, "Don't know why I brought them up. I think just hearing what Naruto said about his dad and about himself, like he was a mistake or something, really got to me." He scowled, "Pissed me off. When he gets back I think I'll talk to him about that. Tell him he was wrong to think that. Tell him I know how it feels. Probably...apologize for what I was gonna do."

Tenten smiled, "That's nice Kiba. I think he'll appreciate that. What do you think Sasuke?"

They looked at the Uchiha and waited for an answer, but saw their swordsman looking down with a deep stare. He looked up when he noticed they were watching him in his silence. He just ran a hand through his hair before looking at them both, "When we first came here, I wanted to be Naruto's partner."

Kiba and Tenten's expressions changed slightly, but not enough to show any form of shock. No surprise there, considering their history, "I came here and tried to help him meet new people and make friends, but I was always expecting to become his partner during our time here. Don't get me wrong, you're an amazing partner Tenten. But I just thought Naruto wouldn't be able to work with anyone else if he was forced to like that. So I feel a little foolish thinking back to that idea now. Seeing just how well you two work together, it makes me realize how arrogant and conceited that idea was."

"Pfft, don't see why you would." Kiba scoffed, noticing the frustration in his teammate's tone, "You'd totally be able to work with him better than I ever could. Hell, you still do."

"That's right." The sole female of their team agreed with that thought as she tried to relieve her partner of his sudden feeling of shame, "It's natural to think about that when you came here, Sasuke. You're his best friend."

"Best friend." Sasuke repeated, his tone curt and a derisive bite to the words. He stood up from the end of Tenten's bed and trudged over to the center of the room as he shook his head, "A best friend would know how to help and what to really do. Kiba, you approached him today with the intention of making him face his problem. Even if we didn't know the full story at the time, you believed that was the right thing for him to do. The same as when you confronted him about us sneaking away. And Tenten, you were completely focused and worried about him. Me? The reason I said we shouldn't make him meet his father was because that was what he wanted, not what he needed. I can say things to him and point out his mistakes but only because he already knows he's making them. That's all I really am, the wall that makes him think he doesn't have to move on or change. That's what I've always been. Because that's how I've made myself. I've owed so much to him over the last two years that...I can't imagine him being able to change so much when I thought I knew him better than anyone. I guess I was wrong."

Naruto could still change. Become different. Grow as a person and become someone better.

But what about him? What could he do?

"Sasuke, I've been meaning to ask you something." Tenten turned in her spot to face him better, "You and Naruto keep saying that you met for the first time two years ago. And it was then that Wilsk made you work for him until you came here. But Naruto said he ran away from home four years ago. And that leaves a gap. So, then, what were you doing before you met him-"

Before Tenten could finish, there was a quick knocking on the door that grabbed their attention. Sasuke made his way over and opened the door to see Ruby. She let out a little squeak realizing the door had opened and she quickly fixed herself, "H-hey Sasuke. Sorry I popped over again. I just wanted to see-"

"He isn't back yet Ruby. You don't have to keep stressing yourself waiting for him to come back."

"Oh y-yeah I know that." She unconvincingly tried to seem calmer and more relaxed than she actually presented herself. After a moment she gave a tired sigh, exhausted from all the tension she had been feeling for hours now without any update from Naruto, "I'm sorry for bothering you. I sorta just feel - you know - responsible. I wanna make sure I didn't screw anything up for him and his dad."

"You didn't." He assured her, "You helped him. That's all you should think about."

"Yeah, I know." She didn't sound convinced, "But I don't know if what I said really did any good. I mean it didn't sound wise or smart like when Yang gives me advice."

"It didn't have to be smart or wise. It just had to be the right thing to say. And that's what you said Ruby."

She brought up some understandably difficult memories of her mother and family, but made a connection with Naruto and his worries. She was exactly who he needed at that moment, far more than him. How was he going to help? He couldn't exactly empathize with their problems considering he barely remembered anything about his parents.

Ruby still looked conflicted and perplexed to what she should do, but the two were silenced when they heard someone approaching. They looked to see Naruto standing a few feet away from them. He stepped closer, showing them the redness beneath his eyes from how much he had cried, but reassured them with the smile on his face. He greeted them with a grin, "I think it worked."

Ruby immediately dashed into him and hugged him tightly while her hood fluttered behind her. Naruto looked down before remembering just how worried she must have been from all her texts. He smiled warmly and returned the hug in kind.

And had to do it again as Tenten ran out and joined them in welcoming him back. He just kept smiling and reached his arm out to hug her too.

And then felt another change in weight when Yang came running over and joined the group hug. He looked at his fellow blonde in surprise as she shrugged, "Like I can't do this after that sob story? Shut up and let me hug."

"U-um, okay, but can we-UOF!" He felt another weight latch on and shift them, "Nora?"

"I saw the group hug and needed to get in it!"

"D-don't move around so much-Jaune!"

"I-I'm sowwy!" The scraggly blond bawled with teary eyes, "I heawd the stowies and they were sad and I need hugs!"

"O-okay!"' Naruto struggled to keep his balance as several people were holding him and had his arms pinned, "Losing balance! Too many hugs! Too many hugs!" He saw the other members of the teams come over to their respective doors and shook his head, "No one else join in!"

"Aw, but you still have someone that was all worried about you." Kiba taunted, a smile back over his face as he looked in their room, "Akamaru! Naruto's back!"

As if on cue, the people that were hugging him so tightly detached and stepped aside for safety. Naruto didn't even have a chance as a giant white behemoth completely swarmed his line of sight and smothered him. The fox Faunus found himself pinned to the floor as the dog holding him down barked and gave him a few licks of joy.

"Aww, he was worried about you."

"KIBA WE ARE GETTING RID OF THIS STUPID GOD DAMN DOG!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"HA!"_

_Naruto threw his short blade at his father with a wire attached to its end to turn it into a ranged weapon. Minato wasn't expecting that and had to actively dodge the blade swiping towards his head. Naruto considered that a triumph, popping up from the ground and charging forward._

_But a moment later the wire was cut, the blade was confiscated, and Naruto spun through the air several times before landing on his back in the grass. His ears twitched slightly as they got rid of the dull ring filling them before looking up at his father. He frowned, "Best 15 out of 29?"_

_"I think we can call that training for the day." Minato laughed, twirling the short blade in his hand by its hilt before holding it back out for his son to take, "That was a new trick with the wire. What brought that on?"_

_"Mom said I should try it." He answered as he pushed up to his feet and sheathed his weapon, "She said something about not letting you get all the fun in teaching me how to fight."_

_"Should have figured. Your mom was a real terror when it came to fighting like that. I know for a fact I could ask a few of my old friends and they'll remember how scary she could be with a chain." He smiled and patted his son's shoulder, "I think you should keep the wires. It's good to expand your skills. Makes you unpredictable."_

_"Thanks Dad!" The boy happily said as his dad ruffled the hair between his ears. He laughed and fixed his hair before looking up at his father hesitantly. He seemed to take notice and Naruto decided to go for broke, "Dad, do you think I'm strong?"_

_"Why would you ask that?"_

_"Just curious."_

_Minato paused in thought, "Well I definitely see an improvement in how quickly you pick up the movement and styles. Your stamina has improved a lot and you're holding out in our spars longer and longer each time. So yes, I absolutely think you're getting stronger."_

_"Well, don't you think, you know," Naruto scratched his cheek as his ears twitched, "That I should be using these skills for something else? Something more important?"_

_Minato's smile quickly thinned and remained silent as he imagined where this conversation was heading. He looked conflicted but buried it down to ask, "Like what exactly?"_

_"Like helping people. Protecting them. Fending off bad guys and Grimm. You know..." Naruto looked up at him with his big blue eyes, "Like a Huntsman."_

_Damn. Knew he was aiming for that._

_Minato knew that this conversation was coming. Ever since Qrow had planted the thought in his head years ago, he had always been paranoid about approaching this subject. And now here they were, "What I've been teaching you is how to protect yourself in self-defense."_

_"Yeah, I know, but there is so much I can be doing with these skills! I can use them for self-defense, but you know the self being humanity and defense being me totally killing Grimm."_

_"Defending yourself against a thug or a robber is very different from fighting Grimm."_

_"I've killed Grimm before!"_

_"Yes. While under my supervision."_

_"But I never needed your help killing one!"_

_"When you're a Hunter, you aren't just going to have to fight one Grimm at a time, or even two or three. There will be hordes of them, surrounding you on every side imaginable."_

_"I know that. Which is why I want to get stronger, and learn the skills I need to fight them better."_

_"It's not just learning how to fight needed to become one." Minato said firmly, "Hunters must utilize their Aura to protect themselves and others until the last of it is gone. And they need to use their Semblance to help them fight and push on even further." He wasn't trying to be cruel or disheartening, he was only telling his son the truth, "And with the way yours works, you'll be at a major disadvantage with both. I'm sorry-"_

_"My Aura can heal me!" He interrupted almost desperately with a fist pounding on his chest, "I might not be protected from injuries but I can get back up and fix them better than anyone else! But if that's not enough then I'll just learn to fight without getting hit! I'll be fast! Quicker! More agile! And since my Semblance won't help then I'll become stronger and better with my swords! I just need to make up for what I lack in with more work! So please Dad, let me become a Huntsman!"_

_Minato didn't answer immediately, just watching his son look up at him with such hope after his earnest confession. His hopeful blue eyes and flappy ears would have worked against him for any normal request or circumstance, but this was no joking matter. If Naruto wasn't prepared for this, or failed somewhere along the line..._

_"Why do you want to become a Huntsman so bad? You could be anything if you wanted to be, so why that?"_

_"Because that's what I want to do." Naruto answered without hesitation, "I want to prove that I can be strong like you. I want people to see me not as a Faunus but as a guy that will help no matter how bad things get. I want them to look at me as a Huntsman, and maybe help them to look at other Faunus like people too. And I want to do this because I want to help people." He made a fist and looked down at it, "If I have the strength and skill to help people and do something, shouldn't I use that to the best of my ability? Isn't that what anyone should do if they can? Help others."_

_He looked up at Minato, his eyes hardened with resolve and a firm nod, "I want to become a Huntsman."_

_Nothing was said between them for almost a minute. Naruto couldn't say anything else. He said what was on his mind and everything he could think of to help prove his point. Now it was up to Minato to react._

_The older blond sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. He shook his head tiredly, "You'd have to apply for a training school."_

_Naruto perked up with a big smile, "I can do that! Any is fine with me!"_

_"No. If you're going to apply for one it has to be one that's good and trains you the best. I think Sanctum would be the best choice."_

_"O-okay!"_

_"And after every day when you come home you're training with me again." Minato lowered his hand to show the stern look in his eyes, "And not this easy training we've gone through. I mean the real hard stuff."_

_"That's fine! I already train more when I can!"_

_"Nothing that simple. I mean the scary stuff. The kind of training that'll probably make you hate me." Minato gave a challenging smirk, "Are we clear?"_

_"Absolutely!"_

_"And we'll have to upgrade your weapon a little. A blade is fine but when you're out there fighting Grimm and other serious fighters, you need every edge you can get."_

_"So should I get something like your Dust Knives?"_

_"Hold on kiddo, those are expensive and I only use them for serious jobs." Minato chuckled, "We'll figure something out. But first let's get back home. Mom's gonna be angry if we stay out too long."_

_"So is that a yes?!"_

_"It's really up to you if you want-"_

_"YES! I'M GONNA BE A HUNTSMAN!" Naruto flipped through the air and ran around like an excited child as his father just watched and laughed. He came running back up to him and grinned, "Dad! When I'm a Huntsman, let's go on a job together! We'll show them just how awesome we are!"_

_"By the time you graduate I'll probably retire. Leave the rest of it up to you."_

_"Oh, okay." He grinned again, "Then I'll promise I'll become the best Huntsman ever Dad! One you can be proud of!"_

_Minato looked down at his 12-year-old son and smiled while patting his head._

_"I already am."_

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**First half, finished in 5 days.**_

_**Second half, a week and a half.**_

_**It became too long. I had to cut some things out but it's still like this. I'm sorry.**_

_**I hope you don't think this is Naruto being emo. Or melodramatic. Or too angsty. I tried not to think about that or over-exaggerate it too much. I just had a scenario...and I put words to it.**_

_**We all make mistakes. We all have problems. Some with people we barely know. Some with people that know us better than ourselves.**_

_**I know it's not quite that easy, but make sure to thank the people you care about and care about you. We all fight but in the end they are what we have through the worst of it. And you never know when the last time you see them is going to be the last time.**_

_**Some people might not be happy with how this worked out. I can only promise you that this isn't the end of their family strife. There's still a lot to work out and I promise there will be more. But for now...**_

_**A better writer would have written something more meaningful. A more daring writer would have had them argue more and bring their problems to the surface. They would have made them leave in silence and had even more issues.**_

_**Me?**_

_**I just wanted to write a win. Just for now.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	36. (No) Place You Belong

Hunting or Bust

Dust 31: (No) Place You Belong

Hope you've been enjoying Chibi and Zweibleweed as much as I have...

Cause I'm about to balance out that sweetness with sour and vinegar.

Family Matters Arc.

Begin.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"We love you-"_

_Before she could finish, the horrible crunch of a claw grinding and forcing itself through two layers of bone and flesh silenced her. The tip of the Alpha's claw pierced her chest and covered them in blood as he could only watch in silent horror._

_He couldn't find his voice and was in shock as the Aplha Beowolf tried digging to get to them. Their mother was shielding them with her body as their father was directly behind her to guard them. If the claw pierced through her, it must have pierced through him as well. And now it sounded like the Beowolf was slashing and gnawing its way through their father's corpse to get to them._

_He still had Aura. He could have kept fighting while they ran off. But no. They protected him. Protected them. His parents gave him a mission to make sure he got out of here alive..._

_And assure that the crying child in his arms lived as well._

_They were running out of time. Their mother's body started to jerk and shift around as the Beowolf started to chew through her as well. He need to act fast! What could he do?!_

_Their father's sword!_

_It was right there!_

_Just past their mother and the Beowolf!_

_He needed it!_

_Now!_

_"HA!" He pushed against his mother's body and sent the Beowolf stumbling back as he ran. He held his brother close to his chest as he heard the Grimm roar and lunge for him. He dove, grabbing the blade and turning around to thrust-_

_**"WRAAHHHHH-"**_

_The blade went right between its eyes and poked through the back as it let out one last dying growl before going limp. He dropped the blade and crawled back before the Grimm could topple over them. He suddenly realized how hard his heart was pounding and how desperately he was taking in air. He was covered in blood. His parents-_

_"Mother! Father!"_

_He suddenly remembered the boy clutching into his shirt and looked back up. The viscera and gore that surrounded the immediate area. The pieces of their parents that had been torn apart and the remains lying by each other._

_He felt his brother try to separate but pulled his head in and forced him down, "No! No don't look! Don't look!" He couldn't look away. The horrible sight of his parents' mangled bodies seared into his eyes as he felt his stomach churn and eyes fill with tears. He struggled to control himself as he heard his brother cry as well, "S-Stay calm. I-it'll be alright. Re-remember mom's song. ~L-Leaves from the vine, f-f-falling-"_

_He couldn't. He couldn't stop the sobs as he weeped and stared at his fallen family._

_He heard a rustling in the bushes and forest surrounding them. He spotted red eyes and monstrous growls emanating from the darkness and tightened his hold on his brother._

_He could feel it._

_They were surrounded._

_"I-Itachi." His little brother choked out through his cries. The seven-year-old looked up at him pleadingly, "W-what do we do?"_

_The older brother looked around at their predicament. Surrounded by Grimm. A now orphaned pair of brothers, only 12 and 7. And their parents lying in pools of their own blood._

_Alone._

_They were alone._

_Itachi remembered the last thing his parents told him and hugged his brother protectively as the Grimm started looming towards them. He whispered, "It's okay. It's okay Sasuke."_

_He looked back up at the monsters approaching them..._

_"I'll protect you."_

_And he didn't know it, but at that moment when the Creatures of Grimm lunged towards their prey..._

_His eyes changed red._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"I...I just want you to know that I love you. I know I don't say that enough but it's true. Through everything that's mattered in my life, you've been there for me. The best. The worst. And everything in between, you've been a constant source of support. So I just want you to know...you'll always be the best. The best friend ever. The best partner ever. Every person I've ever worked with besides you will only be mediocre in comparison-"

"Kiba! Say goodbye to the dog and let's go!"

"SHUT UP YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD, I'M SAYING GOODBYE!" He turned back to the dog sitting in the crate, "Sorry about that. You know Naruto's just jealous about how awesome you are."

Akamaru let out a sad whine and pawed at the crate door. Kiba nodded, "I know man, it sucks. But the others need you back at the shelter and you know how Mom and Hana can get when we don't listen." The big dog let out another sad whimper as Kiba shrugged, "It'll be okay. I'm only here for a few more weeks and then I'm back. So wait for me a little longer, okay?"

Akamaru moaned for a moment before giving a strong bark of encouragement.

"See ya later buddy."

"Ruff!"

Kiba stepped back and let the postal services carry the crate to the delivery bay, extremely wary of letting the dog out again because of the havoc it caused last time. Kiba watched his best friend get carried off for the trip back home as he sighed and walked back outside.

His friends were all standing out in the street waiting for him to say goodbye. NKTS came for the support and to say goodbye to their fuzzy roommate. RWBY and JNPR accompanied them because Ruby and Nora wanted to give their farewells.

Tenten patted his shoulder, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah." Kiba tried to sound neutral but the disappointment was clearly bleeding into his voice. The bun-haired girl squeezed his shoulder supportively and he nodded in thanks.

Nora and Ruby stepped forward, a very solemn aura between the two usually exuberant girls as Ruby had her hood up almost ceremonially. She looked around at the gathered parties, "We will now take a moment to say a few words."

"Wait, you're not really-"

"He was so fluffy!" Nora cried out, "He was like a big walking bed you can sleep on while he carried you everywhere! We had the best games of catch! He licked me and I licked him back-"

"Oh god."

"I will love him forever!" The ginger girl wiped her eyes and waved to the post office, "Goodbye friend! I'll always remember you!"

"You know the dog's not dying right-"

"I loved squishing his face and playing with his ears." Ruby sadly muttered as she pulled her hood down, "I wish I could let him meet Zwei. That would have been a never ending game of cuteness and they would have been best friends and played together and it would be so much fun! Now we can only dream."

Naruto and Blake had to repress the overwhelming urge to shiver. That giant hound working together with whatever dog could keep up living in the same house as Ruby and Yang?

That was a nightmare.

Ruby hung her head, "And now, a very special song prepared by our very own Weiss Schn-"

"No."

"Okay then. I guess we're done." Ruby sadly muttered as she shuffled away while Nora regained her joyous expression. The hooded girl dragged her feet like they were weights, "I'm gonna go feel better with ice cream and cookies."

"Oh yes, classic Ruby feel-good buffet." Yang laughed as she and her partner followed behind their leader, "I think I'll get it on that action."

"Figures you would." Blake noted as she and the others started heading for the transport back to Beacon.

Sasuke stepped up to Weiss' side as they brought up the rear. The heiress had crossed her arms in frustration at being put on the spot like that by her partner. Probably wasn't happy with the idea of singing in front of them after last time, "Did you actually prepare a song for this?"

"No! No I didn't!" She defended herself petulantly as she almost started seething and shaking with rage, "Ruby just tried to push it on me so she can hear me sing again! She's been wanting that ever since the first time I sung in front of all of you. And I refuse to do it again."

"If she just wants to hear you sing then what's the problem?"

"The problem is the blonde, gauntlet-wearing shadow that sticks to her back, waiting for the moment she can catch me doing it." She rubbed the bridge of her nose in exhaustion and huffed, "Like she wasn't relentless when she had the Bad Angel material. I will not feed that fire as long as I am able."

"Sounded like Ruby just wanted to give Akamaru a memorable goodbye."

"He was here for a week! And he's not dying!" Weiss argued with a scowl, "Ruby is just being melodramatic. She'll get over it."

"Yeah but you liked him too right? I mean you did come over sometimes to pet and coddle him with that baby talk-"

"Stop!" Weiss cut him off, a faint hue on her face remembering how silly and demeaning she acted while in the vicinity of that mangy mutt. His big slobbery face and floppy, droopy ears. The excessive stray hair and ridiculous loudness when he moved. The cute little wetness of his nose and how he waved his fwoppy twail whenever she scwunched up his wittle-

"AHHHH!" She screeched and gripped her hair, "Stop! That! Now!"

The Uchiha boy looked at her strangely as the refined heiress seemed to have a dispute in her mind. He slowed down to give her some space to vent. Doing so left Sasuke trailing behind the rest of the pack and letting him get a good look at them.

Ruby was being comforted by her big sister after Akamaru's inevitable departure. Blake was speaking with Naruto about how relieved he must be now that the canine was gone, with him mentioning that he had called and texted a few times with his father recently. Tenten was speaking to Jaune and Pyrrha, remarking of Jaune's improved skill and movement in the spars with the help of Pyrrha's training. Kiba was being hounded by Nora on the topic of hounds in general and was pushing to visit his shelter while Ren silently walked alongside them. And just ahead of him, Weiss was muttering something about cleansing the baby talk out of her systems.

A strange sight to see all these people together, but one he had grown accustomed to. These were his friends.

...

Friends?

They were his friends, right?

Of course they were. Everything they had been through together. They were friends now through and through. No doubt.

So why did he feel he had to reassure himself like that? And why was he so sure it still wasn't enough?

Was it because they weren't his real friends? Or because they hadn't made friends with the real him?

No, this was real. This was him. Sasuke Uchiha. Just...putting on a face and a pleasant act.

Which meant it was a lie. But a good-natured lie. A necessary lie. A lie for the benefit of himself and the others.

They probably wouldn't like the real him if he told them the truth. He didn't like even thinking about it. Made his skin crawl.

This was easier. For him and everyone else. He grew to smile whenever he could and the others became familiar with that look. He would outwardly express his joy in a situation and become more comfortable with it by doing so.

It was a trying effort the first few weeks he did it but now it became so easy. He felt happy doing it now. And the others were happy to see him.

They were his friends. His family. His teammates were now the people closest to him in the entire world.

He could trust them. And they could trust-

_"But cutting off your ties like this? Ignoring them and abandoning them deliberately when they come to you...that puts someone in a very dangerous place. A place they can get lost in."_

Kiba's words echoed in his ears. Haunting him like a warning. No, not even a warning. A reminder. A reminder that he had done this once before with someone he cherished and adored more than anything else.

Could they trust him? Really trust him? Or would he turn and run if a better opportunity presented itself? Or if he thought this second chance was just too hard?

Apparently Naruto had thought that, considering he never trusted him with the knowledge of his father and all the pent up anger towards himself. Despite everything they had been through together.

But Sasuke did know the feeling of anger and disappointment towards oneself. Especially when it came to familial issues.

Just because he couldn't empathize with the parent angle, didn't mean he wasn't familiar with the screwed up family aspect.

But what did it matter? What could he say to help?

A group of civilians passed by their motley gang of students while they passed the street. They shifted through the large crowd of people to get to the other side-

"I knew you were okay."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked back at the crowd that passed them. He froze in the street, making the cars honk at him as the light turned green and he still hadn't moved.

That voice.

No way.

"Are you alright?"

Sasuke came back to reality and saw Weiss standing on the sidewalk, waiting for him to come to his senses. The honking of horns and the angry tirade of people waiting to drive over him started to register. He shuffled off the street while his eyes were firmly locked on the path they just came from.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Weiss reiterated with a raised eyebrow, "You look like a lost child. Did something happen?"

"No." He was quick to reply. Too quick. He sounded on edge and panicked. He took a breath and shook his head, "No, I-I'm fine. I-I was just-" He shook his head and walked around her, "We're trailing behind."

Weiss narrowed her eyes and watched the taller boy walk off. She looked back the way he'd been staring and tried to spot whatever had freaked him out. She decided to just ask again when he seemed to calm down.

However Weiss didn't notice that while she was looking around for something, someone had clearly spotted her and her friends in return.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Okay, I'll admit." Tenten walked in their room and felt her shoulders dip with disappointment, "I'm gonna miss Akamaru not being here when we come back. I already miss stroking his head and rubbing his belly."

"I know right!" Kiba dragged his feet with a dejected expression, already missing his best friend's company. He fell back on his bed and deflated sadly, "He was the best part of the day. The best of us."

Naruto gave a disgruntled groan and rolled his eyes, "Are you gonna keep lamenting until the end of the semester? Because if you are, the next few weeks can't go by fast enough."

"Shut up. I'm coping."

"Come on Naruto, you have to admit having Akamaru here was fun." Tenten gave a cheeky grin, "I bet you're just acting like that because you miss having your buddy around."

"Then let me say it again so it's super clear. I'm glad that mutt is gone and I'm not gonna miss him at all." Naruto grumbled, "I'm pretty sure I've been traumatized by the harassment and stalking from that mangy little bastard."

"Is that actual spite? Or are you just sore because foxes don't like dogs?"

"Is that a stereotype?"

Sasuke hadn't heard what his team and friends were talking about. It was just background noise at the moment as he walked into the room and tried to collect his thoughts.

It wasn't possible, right?

It was just a trick.

Stress induced delusions.

He hadn't been thinking clearly. His head was just getting wrapped up in old memories and distant thoughts. He just imagined it.

But the voice. The tone and infliction. Everything was the same. Perfect to the last decibel. So how-

"Hey Sasuke, what's that?"

The Uchiha boy came out of his thoughts and turned back to Naruto, "What's what?"

"That paper in your pocket. Is that supposed to be something?"

Paper?

Sasuke reached back and felt a piece of folded paper sticking out of his back pocket. His eyes widened in surprise.

Where did that come from? More importantly, how didn't he notice something slip in his pocket this whole time?

Sasuke pulled it out and stared at the folded sheet for a moment before finally spreading it open. A map of of the city. With a certain area circled in bright marker. And text just above it.

**Here**

"So what-"

"I'll be back." Sasuke went out the door and pocketed the map before his team could finish speaking. He heard them stutter and call out but he ignored it as he walked through the hall and out the dorm completely. He started making his way to the dock to grab some transport back to the city.

He didn't even realize he was on the Bullhead down to Vale before it arrived and he walked off.

It was all just one moment. One blur. One moment he was in his dorm, the next he was walking through midtown trying to find the spot on the map.

His mind just went blank. Anticipating what was going to happen when he arrived at this rendezvous. But every time he thought he had something, his mind just went blank again.

Before long Sasuke arrived at his destination. A mostly empty lot located behind several old buildings that were mostly likely abandoned. He recognized the area. Him and Naruto had been here a lot when they had work in Vale to do for Wilsk.

But he had to focus.

That voice. That writing. The skill to slip something on his person and then disappear without him even realizing. He knew one person with such skill.

The same person that taught him everything.

Sasuke stood in the lot with empty barrels and a discarded, broken car off to the side. He looked around and saw nothing that would catch his attention. His eyes shifted red, everything in the dark becoming visible to his sight but still nothing. He couldn't even feel a presence anywhere nearby.

That was amazing.

Sasuke eyes changed back to black and he just sighed as he walked into the center of the lot. He looked around one last time to see nothing move or shift in the shadows. There was nothing here. No one.

...

"~Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foam~"

The song. The same melody that always came to his tongue subconsciously when he least expected it. He finally gave the tune its words, the lyrics he hadn't recited in many years but never forgot.

"~Little soldier boy, come marching home~"

...

"Brave soldier boy. Come marching home."

The familiar voice finished the song for him. Sasuke slowly raised his head and took a deep breath as his summoner finally presented himself. Sasuke turned around to face the older man, not hesitating or even worrying anymore about what might happen.

He saw a tall figure walk out of an alley and into the moonlight. His black hair had long bangs going down each side of his face. The pronounced lines along his nose and under his eyes made him look tired. The onyx eyes focused directly on him. He wore the same black jacket and grey shirt beneath it with blue pants, just like him. And embezzled on the back of the jacket was the sigil of their family, the red and white fan. He kept his right hand hidden in the pocket of his jacket while the other just hung at his side.

"Itachi."

The older man was silent before a faint smile spread across his lips. It was small but real enough as he nodded, "It's good to see you again little brother."

Sasuke's mind was blank. He should have considered the reasons why his brother was here. He should have thought about how he got here or how he knew where he was.

But none of that crossed his mind. Despite the years of apprehension and fear...only one thing came to him at this moment.

Sasuke closed the distance between them and quickly embraced his brother. He knew this was a bad idea...separated for two years and an indescribable amount of tension between them...and the first move he makes is charge in and hug his brother. He knew this was a bad idea.

But he missed his brother.

He felt one arm cross over his back in return and squeeze back. They stayed like that for a minute before separating to face each other. Itachi lightly tapped Sasuke's forehead before resting a hand on his shoulder. He showed his brother a faint smile and squeezed his arm tightly as if to assure himself it was really him, "You've gotten taller...I've missed you, Sasuke."

The initial surprise had started to wear off and instead gave way to trepidation and a slew of other emotions. Confusion as to how he found him. Fear as to what he had to say. Dread at what he would do. Concern as to what had happened to him and the others since he left. He decided to focus on the matter at hand and get some answers, "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy. We've been looking for a long time but never found anything. For the longest time I thought the worst and that you might have..." Sasuke felt an overwhelming sense of guilt grip his heart to see his brother struggle to say the words before he carried on, "But an informant of ours found a lead. A thread on the net that talks about some of the new arrivals at the hunting schools, in preparation to set bets and wagers on the tournament. And one of them mentioned a young Uchiha that had recently arrived at Beacon. He showed a lot of promising talent and skill. And I thought it sounded rather familiar. So I took a chance, and here you were."

Sasuke raised the map up, "And this?"

"I thought it would be better if you and I could speak privately. So I waited for a good opportunity and left you a message. I'm glad to see you knew it was me."

He had been tailing him. Him and his friends. And he had been so close to them without Sasuke even realizing it. He used to train to accomplish acts and feats like that but after being away from them for so long he realized just how unnerving it was to be followed without even noticing it. And just as bad...if he had been tailing him earlier, then he must have taken notice of the friends he traveled with as well.

"It was quite a sight, seeing you with all those kids your age. I remember not too long ago that you always seemed so adamant about following me and the others everywhere. You wouldn't be caught dead hanging around with 'snot-nosed kids who could barely put up their fists'."

Sasuke couldn't help the chuckle from remembering that conversation. The brothers shared a laugh before Sasuke shook his head, "To be fair, a lot of them can hold their own in a fight. If that means anything."

"Not just that." Itachi just kept staring out into the empty lot, "You smile more than I thought you were comfortable with."

The smirk on Sasuke's fell into a straight line as he lowered his head in shame. Of course his brother would take notice of him acting differently. No one in the world knew him better. He closed his eyes, "There's a reason...I mean I had to-"

"Sasuke." Itachi cut him off and the older Uchiha looked at his brother with bewilderment and concern. He slowly shook his head and asked in an almost desperate voice, "What happened? You were prepared and seemed so ready. So what happened? Why were you gone for so long? Why didn't you come back?"

Did he think this was never going to happen? No. He knew it would eventually. He knew that someday he would have to track down his brother and the others, face them directly, and tell them what happened. Why he didn't come back.

But he didn't think it would be today. Or anytime soon. He really wished he had spent some more time thinking about what to say. Considerable time.

But he didn't. It was here and now. So he had to speak the truth.

"Itachi, I'm sorry. I couldn't do it. The chance was right there - right in front of me - but I just couldn't do it. I know I said I was ready to prove myself. To be like you. But I froze. I thought about it so many times over the years but I can't bring myself to follow through with it." He looked up at his brother, "I can't do what you do."

Itachi just watched him, his shoulders lowering with disappointment at what Sasuke said.

"And I never came back because I didn't think I'd be able to face you and the others after failing like that. Refusing to do the same things as you and everyone else would just cause tension and strife. I didn't know what to do." Sasuke clenched his fist, "But maybe there is something we can do now. The headmaster at Beacon, Ozpin, is brilliant. And he has considerable pull with the Vale Council. He's willing to look past prior discretions if he believes an individual has worth and talent as an asset that can be beneficial for - well, I don't know. But that's why he accepted me into Beacon, even though I had criminal ties and no prior education. And he would probably do the same for you."

"You're smarter, and stronger, and faster, and more experienced than I am. Ozpin would have to be an idiot to let someone with your abilities pass so easily. And everyone too. I'm sure you can do something to help the people of Remnant without having to do it by yourselves anymore. You don't have resort to fighting from the shadows. You don't have to fight alone." Sasuke nodded before looking up, "If you give me some time-"

He froze in shock seeing Itachi had vanished without him even noticing. He looked around in a start but couldn't spot his brother again. He was gone.

And the sense of fear and dread in Sasuke's stomach...it only grew worse at the thought that this wasn't over yet.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Itachi watched over his brother from the rooftop as Sasuke looked around for him. He still had difficulty tracking him when he erased his presence like that. It reminded him of the times they trained together, Sasuke trying to locate him in a dense area of forest and Itachi getting the drop on him and bopping his crown. It made him chuckle in fond remembrance.

But now seeing his brother like this...he had changed so much in the time he had been gone. And Itachi wasn't sure if it was for the better. Seeing his brother change his personality and seem so uncertain about what he should do...

It felt like a sharp pain had settled in his stomach.

"So? You got to see him again. Was it worth it?"

Itachi ignored the deriding, short tone that asked him that question as Sasuke walked out of sight, "He seems so confused. So worried about seeing me again."

"Well no surprise there. I told you he wouldn't want to see you again. Traitors and cowards tend to act like that when they're put on the spot."

"You don't know that-"

"I sorta do! Was his face pale? His skin all clammy? That's probably because he was thinking, 'Oh wow, here's my brother I totally abandoned and ran away from because I chickened out and turned traitor! Geez, I hope he doesn't give me that ass kicking I deserve-"

"Stop it! Itachi doesn't need to listen to you complain and whine any more than you usually do! Especially not now! Give him a moment to think."

"What is there to think about?! He ran! He left! He made that choice and we should just ditch him! If he isn't strong enough to fight our cause then we don't need him!"

"We can't just leave!"

"Why not?!"

"Because he's Itachi's brother. His family."

"...We're his family now too."

"You know what he means. Itachi won't just leave him. Right?"

Itachi lowered his head before shaking it, "I can't. We have to stick together. I made a promise a long time ago that I would always watch out and protect him. I don't know what made him change his mind or why he's acting like this..." Itachi's eyes opened again, "But he's still my brother."

"Even though I want to help you bring Sasuke back with us, I have to agree with the moron about this. We can't just bring him back in so easily. Not after he ran away. After he failed to do his duty. And after he's been spending so much time with that guy. He needs to prove that he can still fight alongside us. Which means he has to finish the job."

Itachi's eyes lowered hesitantly at the thought of forcing his brother to do something like that against his will. But even though he felt like this, a part of him agreed. Sasuke had to prove they could trust him again.

"And he can't stay with those 'friends' of his anymore either."

"I know."

"If you want to get this done, you'll have to follow my plan." The first voice stated to Itachi, some spite still in his tone but forcing it down to help advice his leader, "Are you willing to follow through with it?"

It left a bad taste in his mouth. And he was certain that even if he got Sasuke back, his little brother would never forgive him for what he did.

But even so...

"Yes. I'm ready. Let's proceed."

**(((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Half day! Woohoo! This is awesome!"

"Technically it's not a half day. The last two classes were just canceled because Professor Port and Professor Goodwitch had to deal with festival preparations."

He didn't care why they canceled class or how long it would happen. They were free from the daily confines of class sooner than usual and he was thankful for that!

"Okay team, we're free from the tyranny of having to take anymore classes today!" Naruto grinned and looked between his teammates, "But I still got something to do later with Velvet. So until then, what should we do?"

"We can always do a little training out in the grounds." Kiba offered while rotating his shoulders, "I wanna work out a few kinks in those combo moves we're working on."

Naruto seemed excited at the idea before Tenten shook her head with a grimace, "I'm still feeling sore from the last training session we had. Plus have you looked outside today? It looks like it's gonna be raining any moment. I'd rather not get caught up in that." The bun-haired fighter shrugged her shoulders, "I say we just head to the cafeteria, get something to eat, and then have an easy rest of the day in the room."

Kiba gave a small hum, "That doesn't sound too bad actually."

"Okay. Two ideas so far. Sasuke, any suggestions?" The team turned towards their silent swordsman as he seem more preoccupied with daydreaming than engaging with them. He turned to them and Naruto repeated, "Training or resting? Any preference?"

The Uchiha remained silent with his expressionless face. He stepped in towards Naruto and whispered, "I need to talk with you."

He nodded, "Okay. Well if you want to talk-"

"Not here." Sasuke gripped the whiskered Faunus' shoulder and led him down the hall as he looked back at Kiba and Tenten, "We'll meet up with you two later. Don't wait for us."

Their partners seemed perplexed by his action as Sasuke dragged Naruto around the corner and away from everyone else. When they were alone Naruto pulled his arm out of Sasuke's grip, "Man, what's going on with you? You've been quiet all day and your eyes keep looking around whenever we stop. You're acting like-"

Naruto finally took note of Sasuke's frown and stern glare. His reserved manner and silence around the others while he was focused on something. It was how he acted when something was very serious and very bad. How he used to act all the time when they first started working together.

Naruto immediately realized that something was wrong, "What is it? What happened?"

He answered in a low voice, "I saw my brother."

"Your brother?" Naruto repeated as his eyes widened, "Y-your brother? You saw him here? How - is that why you were gone so late last night?"

Sasuke nodded, "He contacted me yesterday when we were in the city. He wanted to meet me. Wanted to know if I was okay. And why I've been gone for so long." He answered, "He wanted to know why I couldn't come back."

"What did you tell him?"

He didn't answer and instead looked up at his friend with a firm glare, "He slipped me a note while we were in the city. All of us. He saw you."

Naruto reeled back and grit his teeth, "Oh shit. Shit shit shit." The blond ran a hand down his face and took a sharp breath, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I wasn't going to do anything. That he should stop fighting as well. Use his skills to help people, through legitimate means. Do something good." Naruto seemed concerned with that idea before Sasuke shook his head, "But he left. Vanished before I could say anything else...I don't know where he is."

"What do we do?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "What were your plans later?"

"Velvet was gonna tutor me."

"Cancel it." Sasuke ordered, "We're gonna stick together through this. I don't know if Itachi came with anyone else or if he might do something drastic. I don't think he would but I won't risk it. We'll stick together to make sure nothing happens and when it's night you'll stay in the room and I'll go back into the city. I'll find him again so we can talk."

"I'm not gonna leave you to handle this by yourself." Naruto stated with a frown of his own.

"You can't mean to bring the others-"

"No." Naruto denied with a furious shake of his head. He grimaced and paled at the thought, "We can't let them know about this. If they did-"

"Then just listen to me." The Uchiha spoke with finality, "I've got your back. I'll figure this thing out with Itachi, and we can put it all behind us for good."

Naruto may not have told him everything about his life, but that didn't matter to Sasuke. He was the person that showed him there was so much more for him to. He was the person that stopped him from taking a very different path in life. The one that had led to coming here, making dear friends he would cherish for years to come.

Naruto was his closest, most cherished friend. And as long as he could fight...

Sasuke reached out and gripped Naruto's shoulder, "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake looked up at the bleak sky and darkening clouds as there was a slight chilly breeze that passed over the mostly empty street they traversed. She felt a small shiver go up her back to the tips of her ears that twitched under her bow. The hidden cat noticed the Schnee beside her looking even more annoyed than she felt as she glared at the back of the siblings leading them.

She was exhausted at being pulled into yet another strange activity by the sisters as she droned, "So why exactly did we all have to come down here with you?"

"Why do you have to keep asking that?" Yang responded with frustration as she looked around the area, "Just consider it a team building exercise or whatever. Look blame Ruby, not me."

"Oh, way ahead of you." The heiress informed with a curt tone.

Their little leader seemed to take full notice of the knives being glared into her back and tried to disarm the tension with a cheerful smile, "Oh, c'mon guys, lighten up! We came to the city! Isn't there always a fun thing to do when we come down here?!"

"Not when it looks like this outside."

"Okay, well clouds aside," The hooded girl shrugged, "We can still have fun, right?"

They could absolutely have fun on a dreary day like this. Reading in their room. Reading in the cafeteria. Reading in the library. Honestly anything besides coming out here to check up on Yang's motorcycle would be fun.

"Look, I know it sucks, but I'll make it quick." Yang reassured them while looking up from her Scroll, "This is important. I got a message from the guy in charge of the depot that said something happened with Bumblebee. He didn't say anything else and I don't know what's up. I just wanna check and we can get going." Yang grinned, "Hey, that's something fun we could do. I can finally show you two my bike. You can even ride with me. How about that for fun, right Ruby?"

"Totally!"

Their leader silently retracted her statement with a terrified grimace and a furious shake of her head. The message was clear; a warning of death for going that way.

"As tempting as that sounds," Blake brusquely stated, "I'll pass. I'm not all that interested in biking. No matter how fast or motorized it may be."

"I agree." Weiss quickly complied with the Faunus' wishes as she shook her head, her white ponytail swaying with her movement, "I'm sure there are other, less strenuous, less life-threatening activities we could do for fun."

Yang scoffed and followed it with a hearty laugh. The black and white-clad girls looked at the blonde strangely as she sent back a cheeky smile, "Oh I bet you two could have a whole lot more fun if we did go back to the school. But I doubt it wouldn't be strenuous~."

They didn't quite appreciate the giddiness in her voice and raising of her brow. Weiss questioned on their behalf, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you two specifically would have more fun back home." She grinned, "With your little boy toys~."

Ruby feigned a gasp and covered her mouth in shock before she shared a quick giggle with her sister. Blake reeled back in surprise at the accusation and heard a more genuine gasp from Weiss beside her as the heiress nearly yelled with indignation, "Excuse me?! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"I think you know exactly what it means, Icy Queen. You and Sasuke." Yang teased through her smile as she enjoyed that peeved expression Weiss failed to hide, "Don't look so surprised. We might have totally blown sneaking up on you guys the first time, but you haven't exactly been subtle after that. Sit next to him. Sit across from him. Invite him to dinner~. Asking him out on a date - even a totally boring one like the museum - is a feisty move for you Weiss. I'm proud of you."

The Schnee heiress blubbered and stumbled in horrified shock at the implication. But was it just an implication? She certainly did seem to be spending more free time with him than she ever expected the girl to willingly spend with other people. She stayed around them so much mostly because she was supposed to while they were a team. If they weren't bound by that rule, she would suspect that Weiss would giggle happily while flying away on a jet pack powered by Dust and Ruby's sadness.

That seems like the kind of thing rich people would use their resources to do.

"And don't think you're being all sneaky too, Blake," Yang smiled after enjoying the sight of the stuttering heiress, "Like we don't know about you and Naruto."

Oh god, not this again.

"Yeah!" Ruby chimed in with a suspicious gaze and big smile, "We know all about your little sorted affairs."

"Sordid."

"That too."

Blake felt the need to rub her temples in some vain attempt to banish the migraine that nested in her head. She was just imagining a little cloud of Yang and Ruby faces that bounced on top of her brain for fun. She glared at the sisters, "Like I've told you dozens of times already, you are reading into something that is not there. There are no affairs, sordid or otherwise. I have spoken with Naruto a handful of times and I gave him a book he can read. That's it."

"What about the part where you were throwing yourselves at each other?"

"Excuse you?"

"Yeah, there's a rumor that while you two were in the library, you tried to start a little mm-hmmm with each other." Yang's grin and dirty tone didn't leave much to the imagination as Ruby looked at Blake in complete, honest shock, "Other students say that if it wasn't for the librarian coming to check on you, you two probably would have done it right then and there. Even knocked over all the books on the shelf too." The busty blonde nodded with something akin to pride, "I never would've expected it from you Blake. I'm impressed."

Don't be impressed. She felt dirty receiving Yang's respect like this.

Blake also took notice of the fact that Weiss had come out of her stupor to look her over in disappointment at the allegation. Like she was any better. Did she have any idea how any normal Faunus would react to hearing a Schnee and an Uchiha were getting chummy? It was like end of days, but grosser because she actually knew them.

Blake frowned, "Can we just go fix this stupid bike already?"

Yang frowned hearing the insult to her awesome bike and crossed her arms, "I'm not moving one step until you say Bumblebee is the most awesome, wonderful thing you've ever heard."

Blake was already making her way back down the street they came down.

"Wait wait wait! It was a joke!" Ruby blurred in front of Blake and desperately waved her arms around to halt the quiet girl from leaving. Her leader tried to disarm the tension with a nervous smile, "She was just kidding! No reason to be angry! All friends here!" She purposefully left off saying either Blake or Yang's name so the apology could go either way. She was diffusing the situation while making sure not to take sides. She was definitely learning how to be a leader dealing with a group, "And look, we're here! That's good, right?"

The bow-wearing girl turned back around to see Yang was already opening up a storage space that likely held her personal vehicle. The boxer made her way in and the rest of her team followed into the container. They finally laid eyes on the 'wondrous' machine they had heard so much about, a yellow sport bike that turned to red down the back and with a black seat. She didn't know much about bikes or engines but she would bet that this one was sporting some serious torque.

She expected nothing less of Yang's bike.

"Honey~, I'm home." Yang said as she walked over to her bike and lovingly ran her hand over the handles, "Did you miss me? Because I missed you~."

"You sure you don't want some privacy for your sordid affairs?"

"Oh please, you two wish your rides were as good as mine."

"Can we stop now?" The girls all looked at Ruby as their little leader grimaced and shook her head, "All these weird jokes are making me uncomfortable."

"Agreed. This is getting excessively childish." The ivory-haired fencer complained as she crossed her arms petulantly, "Just turn the stupid machine on, figure out what's wrong with it, and let's go."

"Turn it on? While it might be busted? Are you crazy?" Weiss blinked in shock at the response as Yang scoffed, "You don't turn it on while it's messed up, that would just make it worse. It's like ruining the engine on a car. Or the propulsion system on one of your jet packs."

Weiss' eye twitched, "For the last time, I. Do not. Have a jet pack."

"Sure you don't." Ruby said, unconvinced, while dipping over to Yang's side, "So what's the problem?"

"Don't know. Everything seems fine." Yang muttered with a growl, "Man if I came down here for nothing I'm gonna be so pissed."

Weiss made her way over with interest, "Here, let me see."

"What are you gonna do? Glare at it?"

"Shut up you dunce. Move."

Blake signed, crossing her arms and settling into her spot for however long this would take. She had to admit that it was amusing to see her teammates flock around and try to help fix the bike, even if they didn't know what was wrong.

"Yang, what's that?"

"What - what the hell?! Who put crap in the exhaust pipe?!" Yang bent down further as she found something lodged into the pipe of the bike. She reached in and grabbed it before giving a firm yank, struggling to dislodge it as she groaned, "When I find the asshole who did this I'm gonna shove my foot so far up he'll be coughing boot."

Blake blinked in surprise at what Yang just said as she stood up straighter. Yang said she hadn't seen her bike since she had last come down to the city with the others that weekend. Blake didn't know a lot about vehicles, but she guessed Yang knew a thing or two. So how could something be wrong with it when Yang was the last person on it and didn't notice anything? And how would the lot owner know something was wrong with the bike when he didn't have the keys to turn it on? Well he probably had copies of the keys to open theses compartments up, but he still couldn't turn it on, right?

Blake thought over these things until her eyes wandered up to the top of the room and she spotted something in the corners of the wall. They were secured to the dark corners of the room but she could see them clearly, held up by bolts and with small red lights on them. They looked like-

Wait.

Blake heard the shutter door close behind her and she yelled, "Yang, don't-"

Yang grunted as she finally pulled the foreign object out of the pipe, revealing it to be some kind of device that had the same still red light. But the moment it was freed, it let out a soft ping and turned green.

And the whole room burst with gas.

The canisters she had recognized had unleashed their payload and filled the storage unit with gas in a matter of seconds. Blake quickly held her breath and covered her mouth to avoid breathing any of the foreign component. She shut her mouth as tight as possible as she heard gasps and coughs around her, the others not being prepared for the sudden attack and accidentally taking in the smoke.

She couldn't see anything. Her enhanced sight did nothing as she was blind in this cloud. The cat Faunus could feel her lungs start to strain as she stumbled over to where she last saw her team and see if she could help any of them. Her arm swung out randomly in a desperate attempt to find her friends.

She felt something! It was warm! And soft, long hair that felt like a blanket! It was Yang! And she was on the ground, unconscious. She had breathed in the gas, blindsided by the surprise attack.

Blake reached down and grabbed her partner by the shoulder and hefted her up. She was heavier than Blake expected, but nothing she couldn't handle. She started for the direction of the shutter, dragging Yang's feet along the way.

"*Gasp*"

Damn! She couldn't hold her breath any longer! The gas was in her system, so she had to act fast!

Her hand probed forward and she felt the bumps and trenches of the shutter door locking them in. Blake furrowed her eyes and reached back for her weapon, using both blade and sheathe to cleave through the metal and then use Shadow to propel them forward through the cut.

Blake stumbled out into the street, clumsily dropping Yang as the black-haired girl fell to her knees and coughed. She felt her arms and legs start to go numb as the gas was starting to take affect. She grit her teeth as her eyes fluttered, "Damn."

No, she had to go back! Ruby and Weiss-

The shutter broke open even further, the sound of metal shredding through metal as a red and white blur burst into the street beside them. Ruby stumbled forward after pushing through with her speed, _Crescent Rose_ in one hand and an unconscious Weiss under the other. Her leader let out a few strained gasps and coughs before she fell to her knees, the heiress slipping from her arms as Ruby finally succumbed to the affects of the gas.

It was just Blake now, and she could feel her consciousness fading. She didn't have long. She had to take the others-

"Glad I got you all in one try. And here I thought I would only get one of you and I'd have to try again for the others. Lucky me you travel in a pack."

Who was that?

She didn't recognize the voice.

Was it the one who laid the trap?

Blake's vision started to tunnel, losing focus as she saw a new set of legs walk in between her and Ruby. The new arrival bent down beside the younger girl and inspected her hood with interest, "Hmm, we could use this."

Blake couldn't see the man's face, but that didn't matter. She could see the design on the back of his clothes and that was enough to send dread down every fiber of her body. A red and white fan plastered over the back of the fabric.

No. Not here. How did they know? How did they find her?

"You're still awake? Oh, spoke too soon?" The man seemed to regard her as Blake toppled over and her eyes started to veil. The man turned around to face her and reached out, "Sorry kid, nothing personal. And I promise this will all be over with nothing but a little nausea. But you girls have a role to play, and I want this crap to be done with already."

Before Blake checked out, she noticed a strange design covering the man's palm.

A peculiar tattoo...of an open mouth and slobbering tongue.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Yeah, go Ren! Beat Jaune's scrawny, lanky butt!"

"Ugh - Nora! C'mon, don't call it lanky!"

"Sorry Jaune, but Pyrrha's already rooting for you! And I'm the queen of the JNPR trash talk!"

Pyrrha tried to encourage her partner as she noticed a strained expression cover his face, "Persist Jaune! You can do it! Ren can't hold out much longer!" She might have earned a dirty, pointed look from the thinner boy but she was doing her best to cheer for her partner, "Just keep your balance and-"

"UWOH - OOF!" Jaune's arms buckled and he fell over on his back from the handstand. Their leader laid on his back with a disgruntled groan as Ren gently lowered his legs, a small sheen of sweat over his brow but no real fatigue after the challenge. Jaune sat up and mumbled before looking up at the green-clad boy, "How was that? Were your arms going weak at all?"

Ren shook his head, destroying Jaune's hope of making any exponential progress. Pyrrha gave an encouraging smile and offered her friend a hand, getting a smile to come over Jaune's face as he was pulled up on his feet. He rubbed his shoulders tenderly and looked at her questioningly, "What's the point of these handstand exercises again?"

"Just some useful training." She tried to demonstrate its usefulness to the blond by placing a hand on her naval, "It's good for core and upper-body strength, building stamina and proper breathing, and will help you keep better balance. And if you can outlast Ren, then that means you've made wonderful progress."

"You know I should feel a little insulted that I'm the lowest point on the scale you're judging from," Ren finally spoke up, "But considering you've probably been accustomed to this training longer than us and Nora is Nora, I guess I can live with being the bottom line."

"I'm sorry." She felt guilty implying something like that from someone as skilled as Ren.

"It's fine." He just shrugged it off, "As long as we are here, I can benefit from this workout as well."

"That's the spirit!" Nora roughly patted her partner's back before flexing her lithe arms, "I say we get to the next part of training! I'll go pull some boulders out of the ground and throw them at you guys! You'll have to bob and weave and do a slow-motion bend backwards to dodge them!"

"How are we supposed to do anything in slow-motion?"

"If you try hard enough, life finds a way."

"No." Pyrrha shook her head and denied Nora's suggestion, deflating the girl's enthusiasm in an instant as the ginger just pouted sadly, "We are not doing anything that dangerous. This is just strength and conditioning training for now. And even when we do more advanced exercises, I doubt we'll be throwing boulders at each other."

"Be easier if we got to bring my hammer and your shield. Then it'd totally be safe." Nora said with a huff and cross of her arms, not completely understanding that even with a shield, that wouldn't make boulder dodging safer.

Ren looked up through the trees along Beacon's field they came to for training. He must have noticed the leaves swaying and darkened clouds as the wind started to pick up, "Well if we still want to get some training in, we have to do it quickly."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Jaune exclaimed as he passed Pyrrha with a joyful grin. He turned back to his team and pumped his fist, "Let's go guys!"

Pyrrha was overjoyed to see her partner's willingness to keep training. She had been worried that when they started practicing together, she might do something to push him too far or overwork him. But she didn't give him enough credit. He still had a ways to go and more work to be done, but Jaune was willing and ready to go the distance with them.

It was moments like this that she felt so proud to be his partner.

And in an instant, it happened.

Before they could move, a massive figure dropped down from the trees and landed directly behind Jaune. Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock and her legs tensed in preparation to move as Jaune looked back. The large man swung his arm out and knocked Jaune off his feet, sending him flying and straight into the trunk of a tree, "JAUNE!"

Pyrrha quickly pounced on this new foe, Nora and Ren backing her up as they charged behind her. But as the tall man prepared to engage them a second, smaller figure dropped town in a crouch in front of him. This one was a woman and she immediately popped back to her feet, raising her arms up as a barrier of pink crystals sprouted up.

Pyrrha stopped before ramming into the crystal wall as the blurry figure behind it punched the other side, shattering the crystal and sending shards of it at them instead. The redhead champion raised her arms in defense and felt the force of the crystal shards impact over her Aura. She heard Ren grunt and Nora yelp in pain as they were blindsided by the attack as well. Her team had to quickly backpedal to avoid any more shards and put some distance between them and their attackers.

Now Pyrrha got a better look at them. The man was the taller of the two by at least a foot, long green hair going down his back with cold, strange blue eyes that appeared to ripple from the middle. In each hand was a straight, double-edged sword that had sharp prongs coming off the side of the swords' length. He wore a dark grey jumper, with the insignia of a jagged lightning bolt on the left breast.

And beside him was a shorter woman, light blue hair tied in a spiky ponytail with her eyes focused on them. She wore a similar jumper as her companion, but with a blossoming flower on the left breast instead and a red undershirt beneath it. She wore long red pants with a black skirt that ended around her thighs. The woman narrowed her eyes as she held out her hand and a thin, sharp length of crystal extended from the end of her arm.

Pyrrha really regretted not bringing any weapons with them now.

The crystal woman dashed forward and Pyrrha raised her guard in anticipation. She bobbed and weaved around the rapid swipes aimed at her head and legs. This woman was going for her weak points, and with startling accuracy and speed as well. She seemed completely focused on knocking her out as when Pyrrha blocked the crystal blade with her arm-guards, the woman would strike out with a palm for her face or a spin kick to her ribs.

Luckily Ren and Nora slipped in at her sides and held the woman off with rapid attacks of their own. But the strange woman held them at bay, parrying their attacks with the flat of her crystal. Pyrrha charged in as well and overwhelmed the woman with three opponents at once, but she proved resilient as she blocked all of their strikes with her arms and legs. It was a blur of punches and kicks while the blue-haired woman blocked and parried them as best she could before she started getting overwhelmed. Even her crystal shattered after blocking enough of their attacks.

But then the man with the blades came dashing in and struck at Pyrrha, forcing her to block with her armor as her Aura took the brunt of the thrust. The redhead was lifted off her feet and sent flying backwards before she finally found some solid ground to stand on. When she looked back up the large man had sprinted after her and was already pulling back for a swing.

The pronged sword came slashing at her head while Pyrrha leaned back to avoid its edge. It was quickly followed by the second blade that came down like a guillotine and slashed the dirt and ground as Pyrrha slid out of the way. He stepped in and swung the blades incredibly fast as Pyrrha could only evade the swipes by the smallest margins.

She was at a disadvantage. This man had longer reach and as long as he had his blades she couldn't get in close. But why was he focusing on her? She looked past him and noticed that the blue-haired woman was holding off Ren and Nora with attacks that weren't meant to be fatal.

They weren't trying to kill them.

So why?

It didn't matter. This was her opponent and she had to beat him somehow. Her only choice was to use Polarity and try to catch him by surprise. But she'd only get one chance before he started figuring out what she was doing and adjusted. She watched him turn-

"HA!"

Jaune came running in from the side and tackled into the man, knocking him off his balance and forcing him back. The swordsman caught himself and gripped his blades tightly as Pyrrha helped her partner, "Jaune!" She steadied him with a hand on his shoulder and breastplate, "Are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah, I'll be fine. Who are these guys," He asked after rubbing his head softly, "Where did they come from?"

"I don't know." She responded, looking back at their foe as he tightened his grip on his swords, "But he's strong. And unarmed, we won't be able to beat him easily. We need to strategize."

"I don't think we gotta beat him." Jaune whispered as he took a makeshift fighting stance beside her and whispered, "We just need to get some help, or our weapons."

"Okay, well how do you-"

"You have to run and tell a teacher."

"No," She instantly shot down that suggestion without hesitation, "I'm not leaving you behind. I'm not leaving Ren and Nora behind. We'll do this together-"

"Pyrrha, that's the best option we got. You're the fastest one here and we can at least hold them off long enough for you to get Glynda or Ozpin." Pyrrha wanted to shoot that idea down again and again but she spotted her partner in the corner of her eyes. His eyes were trembling, with sweat coming down his temple and hands shaking slightly. She looked past their opponent to see that Ren and Nora were still holding the woman off, but the fighter was losing his breath and Nora was struggling to keep up with the quick movements with her wide attacks.

She hated the idea of leaving them...but they didn't have many options.

"Now!" Jaune charged forward with a yell and reared his fist back to strike their opponent. The taller man swatted Jaune's fist away with the handle of his sword before the other one came down on the nape of Jaune's back. He was protected by his Aura but he slammed into the ground with a very audible gasp of pain.

She followed and charged the man before he could bring his blades up again. He had to widely dodge the fists she threw at his head before he could attack again. Pyrrha bent back as the tip of the blades swiped close to her face and forcing her to duck as they came back around.

The green-haired man was about to kick her away but stumbled as one of his legs was attacked. Jaune had tackled the man's dominant leg, giving her a chance to kick up into his chin. This knocked his head back and Pyrrha threw a quick strike into his neck, forcing him to gag and swing at her wildly to get some space.

She was forced back and the tall man brought his other foot in to kick Jaune's gut. This winded the blond and he released his hold on the man's leg before a sword came along and smacked him off the ground. Pyrrha felt her anger rise at seeing her partner swatted off like that as she leapt and landed a spinning kick across the man's face, earning a satisfying grunt of pain from the large swordsman.

He got his footing and brought both swords down to attack her chest.

Pyrrha raised her hands and pushed forward, locking the blades with her Polarity and repelling them back. The man's grip didn't slip at all and he was blown back into a tree with his swords so hard he cracked the bark.

This was her chance! She made a run for the field and came out on the other side of the trees. She spotted some students walking away and heading into the school before it started raining. Pyrrha prepared to yell-

"AH!"

"Don't."

Jaune! She froze immediately after hearing the pained scream of her partner. She turned back around to see the blue-haired woman had Jaune pinned to the ground on his side, a foot on his ribs and his arm outstretched at an uncomfortable angle. She applied a little more force on her hold and Jaune let out a soundless gasp.

Pyrrha grit her teeth and glared daggers at the woman. She looked over to see Ren was pinned to a tree with crystals locking his limbs, and Nora in a similar state but on the ground without any leverage to move her body.

The woman kept her grip on Jaune's twisted arm as her partner thrashed around on the ground in an attempt to break free. She pulled on the arm and halted his attempts entirely as she looked at Pyrrha with a cold detachment, "I'm sorry this got so out of hand. It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to find a quick and easier way to apprehend you all. But one of our partners failed to deliver us a shipment of sleeping gas, and even if we did have it the wind would have blown it away. Clearly we were stuck with the strong arm method, but you lot are just as skilled as we heard. Which is good. If you want to be Hunters that protect people, you'll need to get even stronger."

"W-who are you?" Ren strained to ask from his pinned position.

"You don't need to concern yourselves with who we are." The tall man said as he stood up and rubbed the crick from his neck, "After tonight, hopefully we'll never meet again."

"You ain't that lucky, buster!" Nora roared from the dirt as she bared her teeth and snarled, "When I get outta here, you better believe there's gonna be a butt-whooping of epic proportions to suffer through!"

"We need you to come with us." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and prepared to respond, "And we know this can get out of hand if any more people are involved. So don't leave and tell anyone about this. Come back here or else-"

"AH!"

She gave a quick twist and Jaune's elbow started turning in a bad way. Pyrrha tried to contain her gasp at hearing Jaune wail in pain, "I will have to start breaking and popping things off your friends. And by the time you get back, they'll be gone, and you won't find them. Don't test me. I'm fairly efficient at following through with those kind of promises."

"D-don't listen to her! Pyrrha, we'll be fine!" Jaune yelled through grit teeth as he ignored the searing pain of his hyperextended limb, "You have to get the teachers! You have to - AH!"

"I won't repeat myself again." She said coldly as she narrowed her eyes, "Come back here now. Or your friend gets it."

Pyrrha looked between her friends and the precarious position they were in. If Pyrrha went, she could definitely outrun them. They wouldn't be able to catch her. But if she did, she'd be leaving her team to god knows what. And it would be her fault. But if they were all caught, there was no hope anyway. She-

"Decide."

"GAH!"

"Okay!" Pyrrha finally relented after hearing Jaune let out a terrible scream when his arm was twisted and pulled. She walked forward with her hands raised and didn't make any move to attack them. The large man walked over to her side and placed a hand on her bare shoulder.

The blue-haired woman finally released her grip on Jaune arm as he cradled his arm and flexed his fingers to make sure nothing was broken. He looked up at her in shock as the woman turned back to a yelling Nora and glaring Ren, "Don't worry. From this point on, all you'll have to do is bear witness."

When she turned around, Pyrrha finally got a good look of the insignia on her back. A red and white fan embroidered over most of her jumper's back.

They - they were-

"Sorry about this young lady."

Pyrrha felt a violent shock through her entire system, before there was just blackness.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Really?"

"Really."

"There's no one here at Beacon that you're even slightly interested in?"

"Nope, not really."

"Well what about before Beacon?" Tenten insisted with great curiosity as she looked at Kiba, "There had to be someone that caught your attention as a kid? When you were walking around all spilling with hormones and desires and stuff-"

"Okay, nothing was 'spilling', and don't imagine anything even close to that." He looked off and shook his head, "Yeah I had my eyes on some girls when I was younger but they hardly ever seemed interested in returning the sentiment. I got one or two kisses but those were mostly just on dares." He gave a limp wave to his face, "The kid with the tattoos is usually the escalation dare."

"Why in the world did you get tattoos on your face?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." She was the oldest! Tenten glared at him for his deflection before he quirked an eyebrow, "What about you? Got your eyes on anyone?"

She decided to return the favor and turned her head up with a harrumph, "I'm not telling you. A lady needs to keep a little intrigue about herself." There, let's see how he likes being kept at arm's length about important matters like that.

"Okay."

Well that backfired.

She glared at the smug smirk that tugged his face at seeing the affect his reluctance had on her. The stick user grumbled and marched up to their door with a stomp in her gait. Whatever. Maybe she'd get better responses from Naruto and Sasuke.

She swiped her Scroll and opened up to see Sasuke standing in the middle of the room. She went for his attention, "Sasuke, I need help getting through to Kiba. Who was the first..."

...

That wasn't Sasuke.

He turned around to face them and she noticed his hair was longer. He had very pronounced creases under his eyes and along his nose. This man was taller than her partner. He was dressed in black while Sasuke mixed blue and grey.

And she felt compelled to point out all the differences...because he looked like a carbon copy of her partner.

She immediately stopped in place and felt Kiba do the same behind her. The only reason they didn't immediately apprehend the intruder was because it was impossible for him to look so similar to Sasuke without there being some kind of connection. And until they knew what it was, they wouldn't make a move. For now.

The older lookalike turned back to gaze around the room as he nodded, "Okay, so this is his room. That's good. For a second there I thought I came into the wrong room." Tenten quickly took notice of their open window as the wind bellowed through and made their drapes flap wildly. He snuck in through the window, "It's nice to meet you both. My name is Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother."

Tenten blinked in surprise and sent a quick look back at Kiba who was just as shocked. She remembered Sasuke talking about his brother a few times, but each time he seemed to stop before he said too much. It must have been a sore point for him. She could see that now if this guy frequently breaks into peoples' homes like this, "Hi, I'm Tenten."

"Kiba." His voice was incredibly curt as he closed the door behind them.

"You two are part of his team, right?" He gave a courteous nod to them, "I'm sure it goes without saying, but I want to give you my thanks for sticking with him for the time you've been together." He walked away from Tenten's bed and examined Kiba's next before trailing along the wall. Tenten and Kiba mirrored his movement and kept a good amount of space away from their intruder as he came up to Naruto's bed, "You two at least."

"Thanks for the thought, but there are a few things we'd like more than your thanks," Kiba's voice was sharp and short, "Like why the hell are you here? And why'd you feel like coming in through the window and not say - y'know - the door?"

"I doubt I'd be allowed in if I came through the door."

So he breaks in? Seemed like sound logic...for a crazy person. Tenten narrowed her eyes, "You left on bad terms?"

"We didn't even leave on terms. I wished him luck, and that he'd come back soon, but he just never came back." She saw the look in his eyes and saw so much sadness displayed in his onyx eyes. He must've been so frightened to never understand what happened to Sasuke while they were separated. His right hand was still pocketed as his other hung at his side, "Seeing him here, alive, healthy...happy...I can't remember the last time I felt so relieved. Like I had been holding my breath for two years and I didn't even know it."

Kiba took a step forward, sharing a glance with her before asking, "So you came here...to see him again? Because if you were, that would be the second family reunion we've had to go through in the past week."

"I did come to see him again. And honestly I hoped he and I could work things out quickly last night," This caused Kiba and Tenten to share a quick look as they realized where Sasuke had been last night, "But I guess it was never going to be that simple. To tell you the truth, I didn't just come here to see him again." Itachi finally stepped over to the last bed in the room, Sasuke's bed, and looked down at it in silence, "I came to take him back with me."

...

The air around them changed. In an instant it felt colder and more tense than it already had been just facing the strange man like this. Tenten saw Kiba's shoulders go stiff as she asked, "Didn't you say he was happy here? Why would you want him to leave that?"

"Because we have a job to do. A duty. Something we have to do together."

"He has a choice whether he wants to do that or not."

"He made his choice a long time ago. I just need to remind him of it. And unfortunately...I need your help to do so."

"Is that so?" She saw Kiba's hair start to turn up and become more unruly as his shoulders squared with the activation of his Semblance. Tenten was uncertain for a moment before she realized how dangerous the man before them could be. He snuck into Beacon without raising any alarms. He had such composure that he ignored the tension and intent around him like it was nothing. If he was as skilled and strong as Sasuke...

Tenten took a precaution and hid her fist behind her back while it became coated in metal, "We're not going to tell him to leave Beacon, if that's what you're asking."

"I knew you wouldn't...and that's not what I'm asking." Itachi's hand reached out to touch the bed as his back was to them, "I'm sorry for what's about to happen." Tenten heard Kiba's knuckles crack when he clenched his fist as she swallowed the lump in her throat, "Please understand that I am extremely grateful for everything you've done for Sasuke. For giving him your trust and friendship. But I made a promise...a long time ago...that I would always protect and watch over him as long as I live...I need to keep that promise."

His hand lifted from the bed and fell to his side...

"And I want my brother back."

Kiba let out a powerful yell as he charged ahead of her and straight at Itachi's back. The older man barely turned around as his leg blurred into a flurry of kicks that landed directly into the tattooed boy's sternum. Kiba was knocked over but he rolled off his back and into a crouch as he merely shrugged off the strikes.

Tenten swiped her arm out and threw several knives straight for Itachi's form. But she saw his eyes change red...

And a blinding pain go over her body...before everything went black.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"So you go out there, look through the city, and you find him," Naruto asked with a shrug, "What next? What do you say to him?"

"I keep putting that part off." The Uchiha admitted while they walked back to their room, "I don't know what to say when I see him."

"Well you're smart, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Naruto said encouragingly.

But Sasuke shook his head, "I don't know if I can. I think about Itachi and my mind just goes blank. I don't know what I can say to him to justify what I did."

"If it helps, I know exactly how you feel. I just went through this with my dad." The whiskered Faunus offered an empathetic expression, "The guilt. The worry. The fear. That's exactly what I felt when I saw him again. I can help-"

"It's not the same." Sasuke cut him off with a sigh, "You felt guilty because you thought leaving was the wrong thing to do, and you couldn't face your father after making a mistake. I can't do it because..."

"Because what you did was the right thing...and you don't think your brother sees it that way."

Nail on the head. Sasuke didn't even have to say anything else because that pretty much summed it up. He knew what he did was right. He was just sad that his brother and old friends didn't, for now. And that he had failed to return to them and try in some way to help them make the right choice. He was just so worried that he'd fail. That they'd look at him like he wasn't one of them anymore. Like...like he had lost them somewhere along the way...and they could never be a family again.

He felt a firm hand land on his shoulder and saw Naruto give him a supportive grin, "You'll figure it out. If there's anyone that can convince him, it's his little brother."

He wished he was as optimistic as Naruto, but he had his reservations. But it didn't matter. Tonight he'd go looking for Itachi, and if he found him...well, he'll cross that bridge when it comes to him.

They walked through the door and came into their dorm to find it completely empty. Sasuke stopped and looked around, feeling something was off with their living quarters.

Where were Kiba and Tenten?

"They left the window open." Naruto pointed out the fluttering curtain at the end of the room. The bandana-wearing boy went over and closed it before the storm came in and it started getting wet. As he stepped back, he stopped and looked down in surprise, "Tenten left her Scroll."

Sasuke looked over in surprise and saw her Scroll laid gently on her pillow. He hurried over past Naruto and snatched it. He stared at it for a moment before sliding it open to see a notification on the screen.

**Missed Call**

**Kiba**

Dread. Worry and trepidation filled Sasuke's chest as he felt like something terrible had happen. He swallowed before sliding the screen and easing it up to his ear, "Hello?"

_"Sasuke."_

Sasuke grit his teeth hearing his brother's voice on the other end of the call. He lowered it and pressed the speaker so Naruto could hear, "What did you do, Itachi?"

_"They're fine, I promise. They aren't hurt, or at least not bad enough that they won't recover later. They were quite skilled for their age. The enhancer boy actually got some good hits in before I was able to incapacitate him. And I merely got lucky striking down the girl with the metal coating."_

Naruto was fuming beside him but Sasuke silenced him before he could make a sound. He'd rather not alert Itachi to his friend's presence, or else they'd lose control of the situation. He calmed his nerves and spoke evenly, "Their names are Kiba and Tenten. And if you do anything to hurt them-"

_"I won't. They'll be safe."_

"Why did you do this?"

_"Because you didn't leave his side all day. And I couldn't exactly get your attention when it would be divided between speaking with me and taking his side."_

"So you resorted to kidnapping my friends?"

_"I resorted to the final measure. When we don't have any other choice to make, we'll even do something despicable. If that means we can finish our job. Remember?"_

Sometimes the fastest and most resolute solution wasn't the prettiest or most heroic.

He saw Naruto seething through the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking, "So what happens now?"

***Ding***

There was a notification flashing on the screen and Sasuke quickly opened it.

It was a map of the city. With two circled locations on opposite sides of the city. One in the commercial district. One in the industrial.

_"Sasuke, I want you to meet me in the commercial district. And send your friend with the bandana down to meet your friends in the industrial location. Do not alert the authorities or any of the staff at Beacon to our situation. Do not tell anyone else what is happening. If you do, I can't promise your friends will be in very good condition the next time you meet them. Arrive within the hour. I won't call again. Are we clear?"_

"Yeah, we're clear."

The call ended and there was nothing left but a tone.

"Okay, I take back what I said, your brother is a psychopath!" Naruto growled out angrily through clenched teeth, "It wasn't bad enough that he wants you back and has eyes on me, but he involves Tenten and Kiba in this too?!"

"Naruto-"

"I swear to god if I see him I'm gonna break his-"

"Enough!"

The Faunus grumbled before shaking his head, "Whatever! Let's just go to the industrial district and pick them up while we can!"

"You heard what he said. He wants you in the industrial with the others while I meet him in commercial. He wants to talk with my while you're with the hostages."

"We can just go and grab them and leave! He left them on the other side of the city!"

"No, he didn't. He wouldn't just leave them alone for us to take back like that." Naruto looked at his friend in confusion as Sasuke clenched his fist, "He brought the others. I don't know who or how many but he brought others with him to guard them. He had to in order to keep watch on us and coordinate this operation without anyone knowing."

"Operation? Sasuke, your brother kidnapped our team - our friends!" Naruto yelled furiously as Sasuke grit his teeth, "I don't know who your brother was or what way he does things, but this is horrible! You can't trust him! Or even believe him! We can't trust a word he says-"

"He's my brother!" Sasuke yelled back fervently, startling Naruto with the sudden shout, "I know how he thinks! T-this is all just a plan to separate us as far as possible. So I would listen to him! So we can speak honestly!" Sasuke started panting as his heart beat with anxiety and sweat started forming on his brow, "I-I didn't think he'd go this far but I still know him! I can still understand him! Get to him! I just need a chance!"

Sasuke desperately took in air after his yelling as he tried to calm himself down. His brain was reeling back and he was feeling lightheaded as Naruto stood in wait for him to say something. After a moment of silence Sasuke finally regained his voice, "But they'll be waiting for you there. I don't know if they'll attack you or wait for instructions, but they'll intercept you."

"So it's a trap?" Naruto clarified.

"Yes." He nodded, "You'll be walking into a trap."

"But Tenten and Kiba are waiting there. So it's a trap I'm willing to go into."

The Uchiha boy looked up and saw the resolve in Naruto's eyes to walk in there despite not knowing what would happen, just because his friends would be there. He swallowed, "Naruto, if they're there, they might tell them everything. They'll know-"

"Stop." He interrupted, his face twisting in worry before he pushed it down, "We can't worry about that right now. I'll focus on getting our friends back. You..."

Sasuke composed himself before standing up straight, "I'll face Itachi. And we'll end this, one way or another."

Naruto nodded before holding up his hand, "We'll come back here, with everyone, got it?"

Sasuke didn't waste a moment and clasped his hand before nodding, "Got it."

No matter what happened, they'd come back.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

It was pouring now.

Sasuke sprinted through the street and ignored the rain completely as he focused on his destination. The streets were almost completely empty except for a few parked cars and wandering people trying to hide from the rain.

He was close. He could see the building Itachi decided on coming up the street.

Sasuke tightly gripped the handle of his katana and prepared for whatever might happen next.

He'd hope that he'll be able to talk some sense into his brother. He was worried that it might come down to them fighting. But whatever happened, he was getting his friends to safety and protecting Naruto.

And returning this sword to Itachi. He had fought with it and it had protected him for many years...but it was always supposed to be Itachi's. He wouldn't keep a memento of his father away from the oldest son any longer.

Sasuke came up to the building and stood at its door in silence. It was an old shopping building that had closed down and was empty for renovations that never came. The young Uchiha took a deep breath before walking into the darkness.

It was pitch black. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. He took a few cautionary steps forward before calling out, "Itachi! Itachi, I'm here! Come out now!"

No response.

Did he lie?

Did he lure him out here for nothing?

Oh god, Naruto!

Before Sasuke could grab his Scroll, he heard something shuffle in the darkness that echoed through the empty building. Sasuke quickly reached for his sword and activated his Semblance. With his eyes boosted by their ability, his sight quickly adjusted to the dark and became clear.

Tenten and Kiba...

And Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Yang. Jaune. Nora. Pyrrha. Ren.

They were all tied up, either with rope or chains along their arms and legs to halt any movement. Pyrrha and Tenten were both on the ground unconscious. And the rest had cloth warped around their mouths to stop them from talking. Blake was the only one of the group that could still see him and the moment he saw her eyes he saw it.

Fear.

A bright light suddenly switched on and blinded them all for a moment as Sasuke reached for his blade-

"Don't move."

He felt a presence drop down behind him and press their hand against the back of his head. _Vollmond Reflexion_ was pulled off his hip and tossed away as his Scroll was fished out of his pocket. Once his weapon and Scroll were confiscated, he was turned around to face the man that got the drop on him.

Although he didn't need to because he knew only one person who'd threaten people with the palm of his hand.

As he expected, he was greeted with the sight of an open mouth tattoo on the palm aimed at his face. Beyond that he spotted the familiar face of a blond man slightly older than him with his hair concealing his left aye and the rest in a ponytail. His one visible blue eye narrowed with contempt as he scowled at Sasuke.

"Hey Deidara."

"Sup brat."

A quick jab to his nose staggered the brunette before he was forced to his knees, "Close his hands." The palms of his hands were pressed together and then a sturdy material was coated around them so they couldn't move. There was no wiggle room to move his fingers at all. Like it was crafted just for his hands.

It was crystal.

"Guren?" He attempted to look back at the other figures behind him, "Is that-"

"Look at me!" Deidara grabbed his scalp and turned his head back to face Deidara's scowl. The furious blond sneered and stood up before crossing his arms, "If you're gonna copy anyone's Semblance, it's mine. Just get ready to nuke your hands with them stuck together like that. Look at anyone else, and I'll slam your head into the concrete."

He still had that sparkling personality.

No! Now wasn't the time to get distracted! He looked up, "Where's Itachi?!"

"He ain't here. He's off doing other things."

"Where is he?!" He yelled more fervently as he started seeing red, "Why wouldn't he meet me?! Why'd he bring my team - all of my friends into this?! He wouldn't do something this terrible!"

"No shit, dumbass." Deidara poked himself in the chest with his thumb, "This was my idea. Itachi tried facing you his way. And now we're doing it my way."

"Where. Is. Itachi?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto made sure he was silent as he moved from shadow to shadow while approaching his destination, a storage warehouse in an empty lot in the industrial district.

He had one hand bent back to keep a constant grip on a short blade. He had to prepare for what might happen, whatever that might be. A gridlock as Sasuke and his brother work things out, or a fight. He slowly approached-

"Help!"

"Where did you bastards take us?!"

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha, answer me!"

"Yang!"

"Ruby!"

Oh shit!

Naruto abandoned his hesitation, making for the door and sliding it open. He spotted a familiar red hood among a group of other people with their heads covered in bags. His mind went blank as he dashed in, keeping aware of his surroundings and ready to grab his sword while he reached forward, "RUBY!"

But the moment his hand touched her shoulder, her body crumbled apart, bag and head falling to the floor as the hood hung in his hand. His eyes widened in horror as he started down at the red cloth.

Then he heard sliding metal, a click, and a high pitched tone echo behind him.

He slowly looked back to see a black-haired man closing the door shut and placing some kind of device along the connecting point of the wall. It had a glowing red Dust crystal on its front, and it looked ready to pop the moment that door opened. The man turned to face him with narrowed eyes, "I'm glad to see you actually showed up. I was starting to get worried."

Naruto didn't react and just stared down at the hood, "Where are they?"

"At the other location. With Sasuke."

"So they were both traps?"

"Yes."

"And you knew we'd come to them anyway because our friends were in the mix?"

"I knew Sasuke would come. You...I had my doubts."

Don't react. Don't let him see you react. The screaming and calling of his friends continued to overlap and he look between all the dressed mannequins to see Scrolls in their laps on a loop. He stole their Scrolls. His hands tensed around the hood, "Did you hurt them?"

"They'll be okay. And safe after today. Hurting them was never the purpose of this mission. It was to get Sasuke's attention...and to lure you out."

"Okay. Good. Because if you hurt one of them, just to get to me..." Naruto turned back and showed Itachi the spiteful, furious scowl that stretched over his face, "I would have fucking killed you."

"I'm sure you would have."

Naruto clicked his tongue and stuffed the hood into his pack before his hands fell to his side, "So what now?" He spoke up with venom on his tongue, "Did you lead me out here just to kill me?"

"No, I'm not going to kill you." Itachi pulled out a pistol with a small blade attached to the bottom. It looked like a crappier version of Ren's weapon. Itachi raised it up, lowering his stance in preparation as his right hand stayed in his pocket, "But I will have to incapacitate you. So either stand down and I'll make it quick...or if you choose to fight-"

Naruto dashed and pulled a blade out, firing a rapid barrage of arrows at his opponent. The Uchiha man quickly knocked the arrows out of the air and leapt forward to meet Naruto head-on. The whiskered boy held up his short sword and crossed metal, flurries of sparks and slashes came between them as silver blurs.

The two fighters slid around, trying to attack the other's blind spot and gain some advantage. The sound of clashing metal added with the strike of thunder as the entire warehouse rumbled around them. Naruto stepped in, slid back, duck, dodged, weaved, and parried every slash he could in an attempt to gain some ground against his friend's brother. But Itachi easily matched his moves in kind, having no trouble compensating for the lack of range with his blade as he made up for it with pure skill.

There was one final clash between them before they separated from each other. Naruto felt a wet sensation trickle down his forehead and reached up to see it was blood. He reached up again and felt a cut down his bandana that drew blood and ruined his headwear.

When did he-

"You bleed? That's interesting." Itachi noted, "Despite who and what you are, you have stayed by my brother's side all these years. And he considers you a friend. Despite how much you might deserve this, I don't find any enjoyment from beating you. So whether he's right or wrong, I'll give you one last chance..." Itachi raised his gun up and aimed it towards Naruto, "Surrender now, or I will have to hurt you."

Naruto grit his teeth and ripped the bandana off, tossing it aside as his ears twitched in their sudden freedom. He reached back and pulled _Stormer_ out, flipping the katana around in his hand before standing his ground, "Come get me asshole!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"This was what Itachi wanted."

Sasuke looked up from the ground and at Deidara as his old friend continued looking down at him with contempt, "He wanted you back. He's been looking for you all these years, trying to find out where you went. What happened to you. And here we find you, fucking around in some school with that - that - what is wrong with you?! Everything you've been through and seen and you stuck by his side?!"

Sasuke lowered his head shamefully, "You should have just forgotten about me."

"Oh I agree!" Deidara yelled, "We shouldn't have wasted our time trying to look for you! Trying to find out if you were safe! You know I was actually worried about you for the last two years! I was scared! I thought I lost my little buddy! But nope! You were alive! And you betrayed us!" He grabbed Sasuke's collar and slightly pulled him off the floor, "How easy was it to turn your back on us traitor?! On humans?! HUH?! ANSWER ME?!"

"Deidara. Calm down. You're shrieking like a banshee."

"Go to hell, Guren! I'm venting!" He harshly threw Sasuke back on the ground and started taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. The blond man looked over at the students watching his every move with critical and judging eyes. He glared at them, "What are you all looking at? What, like you don't get angry with family?"

A few of them looked at him in surprise as Sasuke spoke up, "Leave them out of this."

"They're in this because of you."

"Me? I didn't make you kidnap them just so you would get my attention!"

"No! But you brought them into this when you made them a part of this stupid little lie of yours!" Deidara got up in Sasuke face again, "You lied to yourself and every single one of them! You smile and laugh and play around and shit because you know they'd hate the real you! So you buried him as far down as possible, and used all of them to help stuff that reality down! And you even spread that lie out to other people, making that whiskered guy seem like your best friend!" The blond man shook his head, "You make me sick, you twisted, lying little bastard."

Sasuke face twisted with a sad grimace as his lowered his head, "I couldn't do it. I couldn't follow through with my job."

"Your job?!" Deidara yelled, pulling something out of his pocket and pushing it in Sasuke's face as he reeled back, "Your fucking job was reconnaissance! All you had to do was get us information and report back! But you ran off! You ran away! And you've been hiding ever since!"

"Deidara, stop yelling-"

"Shut up!" He cut her off before looking back over at the students. He scoffed and walked around Sasuke, "They're your friends, right? Don't you think they deserve to know the truth?"

Sasuke's eyes widened, "No!" He tried to turn back and stop him but Deidara gave him a hard mule kick to the shoulder and knocked him to the ground, "AH - don't! Don't do it Deidara!"

"Hey kiddies, wanna hear a secret?~" He said in a playful voice as the Hunters-in-training glared up at him, "Your dear old friend Sasuke? He's a natural born killer. He's been training his whole life to fight and kill people. And despite what he says and does to deny that truth, he's been training to fight by our side and kill our enemies. To keep you safe. But he didn't do his job right." He held up the thing in his hand and revealed it to be a photo, "Not only didn't he do his job, he's been helping keep a dangerous fugitive safe for all these years."

"Deidara-"

"Sorry kids, but it turns out your friends..." He dropped the photo in front of them, "Are lying to you."

The photo floated down in front of them and gave some of them a clear view of what it captured. It was a picture that showed some kind of town burning down in flames.

It had Naruto on it too. And hidden inside his blond hair were two furry little ears.

But that wasn't what got their attention...

Half of his face was covered in blood...and the other half was covered by a white and red Grimm mask that had been cut diagonally in the middle.

He was dressed in a white and black uniform, with grey gauntlets and a sword in hand.

It was a uniform many of them had seen before in the news.

Naruto...was a Faunus...

And he was part of the White Fang.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Well, here we go. I've finally reached a tipping point. Tried some new things. Gave some normal POV sections a shot. Tell me what you think. I'm new to them so I'm not quite sure how I fare. **_

_**Anyway...**_

_**I know there are probably some holes with Itachi and Deidara's plan. There always are when you're an idiot trying to even remotely mock smart people making a plan. I can't spot the flaws immediately but I'm sure you can. The only thing I can say to defend myself is that this was a hostage situation, they were worried about the safety of their friends, and Sasuke really thought he could handle this matter with his brother.**_

_**Obviously I had different plans so boom. Let's leave it at that.**_

_**Okay, lots of stuff is gonna start coming out into the open. Dirty laundry and shit. Prepare for secret stuff to start making sense. And some stuff that gets more confusing but will make more sense when I reveal the truth very soon.**_

_**Also, CONGRATULATIONS TO NARUTO, FOR BEING THE FIRST CHARACTER IN THIS FIC TO SAY FUCK. Before immediately getting dethroned by Deidara.**_

_**Told you this might need a rating change. And the shit that happens in the next few chapters will just start affirming that.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank you and Bye **_


	37. (No) Place For Better Men

Hunting or Bust

Dust 32: (No) Place For Better Men

Timeskip, hmm...gonna have to build around that.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"Oh, c'mon man, don't do this!" The blond troublemaker complained to his captor as they continued shuffling through the street and ignoring the strange looks from other people. He gave a nervous, manic laugh, "I-I was just playing around! What, you don't have any weird ways to have a good time?"_

_"There's weird, and there's causing small explosions at police stations and training schools to scare people." The black-haired teen said as he led his bounty towards the station with a hand on his back. The older boy quirked an eyebrow while regarding the protesting blond, "For other people, that much chaos and property damage is called vandalism and reckless endangerment."_

_The blond teen narrowed his eyes and groaned, "Whatever." His eyes went thin and he looked up at his captor with a smug grin, "You think you're the first guy that's caught me? Let me save you some time buddy, I'm gonna get away from you."_

_"You can try if you want." He answered with a deadpanned expression, "I can save you the time and tell you I'll catch you again."_

_"You think I can't escape from handcuffs?"_

_"I heard about your little pop and run tactics when you've been apprehended before. That's why your hands are bound like this." He grabbed the blond's arm and roughly raised them up to his face so he could see the constraints that forced his palms to touch and bind together. The rude young man cursed under his breath while his captor let a little smile come to his face, "You're free to try and escape anyway, but you'll probably get the same result as holding a grenade for too long."_

_"You underestimate the Great Deidara!" The bounty proclaimed and waved his restraints around, "If you think I'm dumb enough to risk these beautiful babies in a blast, you're dumber than you look!" How dumb did he look? Other people continued to look at them oddly as the troublemaker cackled, "I can break out of these things without causing a KAAAA! I'll be out before we even reach the station!"_

_Sure. Whatever. Let him entertain himself. As long as he shut up._

_"So, Mr. Huntsman," Deidara grunted as he started looking over his cuffs and trying to pry himself out with brute force. After he realized that wasn't going to work he continued his conversation, "Once you turn me in and get the money, what's next?" He joked derisively at Itachi's expense, "I mean you obviously have nothing better to do than hunt for inspiring artists and ruin their creative flow."_

_"Your creative flow includes blowing up impounded cars at a junkyard?"_

_"So whatcha gonna do next?" He said with an exaggerated tilt of his head, "Go back home, find the money pit and pool surrounded by pretty ladies, and just dive in~. In both senses! Am I right?"_

_"Not quite." Itachi informed, "For one, I'm not a Huntsman."_

_Deidara looked at him in surprise and raised an eyebrow, "You're...you're not a Huntsman? But you're turning in a bounty!" He looked so befuddled at this truth, "If you turn in a bounty and you're not a Huntsman, you only get - like - half the reward!"_

_"Still needs to be done."_

_And it was the best source of big income he could get on short notice for him and his brother._

_That or sell the sword hanging on his hip. And he'd rather die than hand over his father's sword for cash. And his brother agreed with that choice._

_"You're not...a...Huntsman," He titled his head in confusion, "But did you see the way you moved and attacked back at the junkyard?"_

_How was he supposed to answer that?_

_"You moved like a pro!" Deidara announced and waved around his arms wildly, "You were all parkour-y and quick and wow and damn!" He shook his head, "How are you not in the business?"_

_"Cause I'm not." Itachi said evenly before they stopped at a sidewalk and waited for the light to change, "What about you? You're surprisingly skilled for an 'artist'. And that Semblance of yours is exceptionally powerful, despite your preference for how to use it. How did you unlock your Aura and get those skills? Were you in a training school once?"_

_"Pfft!" Deidara just scoffed at the suggestion, "Dude, you can get someone to unlock your Aura for some Lien downtown. It's not that hard."_

_"So you don't have a background with schools or any kind of formal training course." The light finally turned green and they made their way across the street, "Then what's with the animosity towards law enforcement and Hunter-affiliated operations."_

_Deidara sighed and looked up with boredom, "Would you believe it's me standing up against the man and protesting conformity and also the overbearing reach of Hunters ruled by the government hand? Y'know, antiestablishmentarianism?"_

_"No."_

_"Well worth a try." Deidara shrugged, "I don't know. I like freaking them out. I get a kick seeing them get angry and not know its me. I'm a bit of a pyromaniac." A 'bit' he says, "And I guess I'm just sorta fed up that they're not doing everything they can."_

_Itachi showed interest in that last point._

_Deidara noticed, "Downtown is a mess. We have more Grimm sightings here than in most other towns. Crime is through the roof - I mean I mentioned the thing about getting Aura unlocked for payment, right? Yeah, I'm not the only one that took the offer. And no one seems to do anything about it." He said stubbornly with a frown, "So given the chance to kick them in the pants, I take the chance."_

_"They can't be everywhere. You can't blame them for everything."_

_"Yeah, I know they can't be everywhere." The blond grumbled angrily, "But I can still be pissed about it."_

_Itachi looked around, "If you're so upset about it, why didn't you try to contribute instead of causing mayhem?"_

_"You think I haven't tried?" Deidara bit back with some spite, "In case you haven't noticed good intentions and skill don't really do much when you lack resource and money. Can't get into school. Too young to train for the police. And the one time I tried to do some help, people think I'm a menace and put a bounty on my head."_

_Deidara's visible eyes lowered with a scowl, "If I had the chance, I'd do some good."_

_Itachi could understand the sentiment. Sometimes he felt like he was wasting his chance to do anything. To help people. Make a difference._

_This guy might have wanted to do something similar...but right now he was just his payday._

_They stopped while Itachi looked around and Deidara seemed confused, "Uh, genius, you know the police station is in the other direction, right? Why'd we come into town?"_

_"I just need to meet up with someone. Let him know the capture was a success."_

_"For now." The blond added, "I'm still gonna get out of these things."_

_"Good luck with that." A voice behind them stated challengingly, "If Itachi doesn't stop you again, I won't mind taking my turn."_

_They turned around and saw a twelve-year old boy standing behind them with a smirk. His smile switched into a look of curiosity as he looked up at his brother, "What took you so long? I thought you'd get back way sooner than this."_

_"Sorry." Itachi apologized with a smile, "He was tougher to catch than I thought."_

_Sasuke hummed and looked their bounty over, "He doesn't look that tough."_

_"Wanna test that theory little man?" Deidara growled through his teeth, angered that Sasuke was underestimating him and held out his restricted hands, "Undo these bad boys and we can have a quick go. See if you can put some action to those big words."_

_"Sure, we can do that." Sasuke said condescendingly, "And after I'm done you can know you got your ass handed to you by the both of us."_

_The bomber was about to bite his head off before Itachi clamped a hand around his mouth and held him back, "Sasuke," The older brother gave his sibling a stern gaze, "Don't instigate fights. You don't want to start anything when you don't even have your Semblance yet."_

_Sasuke shot ramrod straight, hearing Deidara cackle behind Itachi's hand before he looked to the side angrily, "He didn't have to know that."_

_Sasuke had his Aura unlocked not too long ago so it was understandable that he hadn't discovered his Semblance yet. It took some people a really long time to get a hold of their inner ability. But when he did find it, Itachi knew it would be amazing._

_He wanted his brother to become strong, so Itachi wouldn't always have to worry about protecting him all the time. But even if he did become stronger than Itachi, that didn't mean he'd stop watching out for his little brother. It just gave him some reassurance that Sasuke could take care of himself if anything ever happened to him._

_He wanted Sasuke to be happy. But he couldn't help but think that he had failed in that aspect. They didn't have a stable home. They were always moving. Sometimes they had to camp in the woods between migrations because they didn't have a faster way to travel. They were basically nomads. Luckily they had mastered these skills while they were traveling with their parents back in the day._

_Sasuke...didn't remember their parents. After the night they had lost them in that forest he just...forgot them. He couldn't remember anything no matter how hard he tried. He must of repressed the memory. It was just so horrific for him that his mind just did whatever it could to block those thoughts out._

_It was sad but sometimes Itachi wondered if he was lucky. When the memory of their bodies popped into his head, he also wished he could make them disappear. But he couldn't. Someone needed to remember them. Keep them alive in memory._

_Keep their promise._

_Itachi smiled, patting his brother on the shoulder, "Come on. Let's turn this guy in and get paid."_

_Sasuke looked at the hand on his shoulder and then back at his brother strangely, "Is something wrong? You're acting kind of weird. It's sort of unnerving."_

_"I'm fine. Just thinking about what we're going to eat tonight with this payment."_

_"MMMMMM! MRRRHHMMMMM!"_

_Itachi and Sasuke looked at the screaming blond and the older Uchiha finally released his hand from his mouth. Deidara took a deep breath, "Ughhh, you're hand stinks. And what's that?"_

_The Uchiha brothers looked over where he motioned and saw a few pillars of smoke rising up from behind a few buildings. Other people went quiet and looked in that direction before they heard an explosion and a few distant screams._

_Itachi's eyes widened in shock as he tossed Deidara to the pavement and ran towards the smoke. He yelled back to his brother, "Sasuke, stay here and watch over him!"_

_Usually he'd be far more attentive to the prospect of leaving his brother alone with this menace/criminal/artist, but he trusted his brother to handle him. And something in him was screaming to run towards this problem and fix what was wrong._

_When the oldest Uchiha rounded the corner, he saw frightened civilians running around desperately and cars toppled over in destruction. He saw dozens of people dressed in peculiar white and black uniforms with a red beast over three claw marks on the back. They were brandishing swords and guns, hiding their faces behind strange Grimm masks while they brought destruction to the town square. The cops tried to open suppressing fire but couldn't get good shots while the civilians were in the way._

_Itachi took a moment to notice that the attacking force were all Faunus. Suddenly one man jumped on top of a burnt out car and got the peoples' attention. The young man was dressed differently than the other soldiers, dressed in a predominantly black tailcoat suit with a more sinister looking mask. He had red hair and the tips of horns peeking out from his crimson locks, with a katana and large sheathe in his hand._

_One cop took the chance and clear shot to open fire on the man, but it failed as he easily unsheathed his red blade and sliced the bullet out of the air. Itachi narrowed his eyes, recognizing the skill it took to pull off a move like that almost instantaneously._

_This man was strong._

_He sheathed his weapon and announced loudly for everyone to hear, "This town was built and raised on the backs of Faunus laborers many years ago, yet they were never credited for this accomplishment or provided adequate compensation. Not only that, but when this town was open, the humans had the audacity to deny the Faunus the right to live here! In the town they made! Well this injustice will go ignored no longer!"_

_"Tell your friends! Tell your family! Spread the word! And heed my warning!" His raised his blade in the air and roared, "IF THE FAUNUS CONTINUE TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS, THEN YOU SHALL FEEL THE WRATH OF THE WHITE FANG!"_

_"HOOORAHHHHHHH!" The soldiers screamed and cheered in agreement as they continued to reign mayhem in the city square._

_The White Fang? The Faunus peaceful equality group? Well apparently they weren't following that peaceful protest creed any longer._

_This was terrible. Itachi watched the carnage being wrought by these men as people, some human and even some other Faunus. These men weren't enforcing justice, this was terrorism. They had to be stopped._

_Itachi made a decision in an instant. And in the next moment he was already off to fight._

_He charged directly at one of the White Fang members that was wildly firing with a machine gun. He seemed to only notice his approach at the last moment and turn his gun towards Itachi to open fire. But Itachi made the last few feet in a leap, slamming his knee into the man's chest that slammed him into a car door so hard the window shattered. He had passed out and was toppling over but Itachi grabbed his gun while he still could and disabled it. He slid over the top of the car and spiked the gun sharply into the side on another member's temple, knocking them down._

_When he touched ground again, he looked up to see several of the White Fang members had now taken notice and were charging in to attack. The front attacker was gripping a katana tightly and came running in with a scream before swinging at him wildly. Itachi ducked and weaved around the slashes, easily noting their pattern and realizing that these soldiers didn't have much formal training if any with these weapons. One slash came to his head and he duck and slid under it, grabbing the soldier's leg and flipping them through the air before lashing out with a back kick that ricocheted them into a car._

_He faced forward and pulled his sword out quickly to parry a blade coming at his side. He fully unsheathed his heirloom and swatted the strikes aside easily before disarming them completely. He turned, kicking up and spinning in the air, striking the soldier with a kick to the face. The elder Uchiha landed and slid his sword back into his sheath in one fluid move._

_"HA!" He jumped back to avoid the knife cut coming down at his head. He stayed on his toes and watched this new soldier spin a knife around in his grasp with some skill. This new challenger lurched ahead and started swiping at Itachi's vitals, aiming for his neck and eyes to disable him. Itachi evaded the strikes and kept his defense up for any surprise attacks. He saw another White Fang member charging for them behind this one with the knife and Itachi realized that he was outnumbered._

_He couldn't waste anymore time._

_His eyes shifted to a blood red color and he was more aware of everything happening around him. He saw his attacker pull his arm back and ready to swipe at Itachi's chest. But Itachi raised his arms up and blocked his forearm completely before it could reach full swing. The White Fang member was trying to pull back, but Itachi snaked his arm around his elbow and palmed the hand gripping the blade. He applied some force, bending the elbow and pushing the blade forward until it stabbed through the sternum of its own user._

_Itachi's eyes widened as the soldier let out a dying gasp and started falling back. He realized the gunner had stopped and was raising their gun towards him so he acted quickly. He reached out, wrenching the knife out as the body left backward and giving him a clear shot. He tossed the blade with power and watched as it planted itself between the eyes of the oncoming gunner._

_She let out a little gasp before her body lost all control. It was only at that moment that Itachi realized she was a woman._

_And they didn't have their Aura. He attacked and countered thinking they would be protected by their own defenses but his attacks went right through them. Not only were some of these soldiers not well trained but they didn't have the abilities or protection to make up for it. Yet they still charged into this fight for a reason._

_These...these were the first people he had ever killed. He had never taken a life before..._

_Every instinct in his body began to flare out like klaxons and Itachi reached for Vollamond on reflex. He turned around and raised his blade to block the shotgun blast behind him. He immediately followed up by blocking the crimson red sword that came at his head, feeling a powerful gust of wind pass over him from the sudden stop. _

_The katanas scrapped against each other as Itachi tried to gain some kind of ground against the redhead Faunus. But despite his best efforts the red-haired terrorist didn't budge at all. He glared into the slashes on the mask, spotting some semblance of eyes behind them as the Faunus looked surprise for a moment. His eyes were hidden but his face twisted with anger, "An Uchiha," He muttered to himself with disgust tipping his words, "And here I thought the world was at least decent enough to wipe all of your kind off the map."_

_Itachi grit his teeth, "Why are you doing this?! Recruiting untrained people to attack an innocent town! What's you're goal?!"_

_"Innocent town?!" The Faunus repeated with a cold anger, "It's that kind of ignorance which is why we're taking this leap! If the Faunus aren't given the respect we deserve, then we'll take it with our own hands! Heh, you know there are tales that when Faunus hunted and killed the murderous Uchiha, they took out their red eyes as proof." A wicked smile crawled over his face, "What better way to start off our revolution then showing we no longer fear those who oppressed us!"_

_Itachi was lifted off his feet and knocked back before skidding along the street. He regained his footing and parried the powerful strike that followed after him as the red-haired Faunus pressed forward. They exchanged slashes and swings at each other at blistering speeds as their swords disappeared in silver and scarlet blurs._

_Itachi had to circle around to avoid a vicious slash down as he swung at the Faunus' ribs. But the bull easily turned his blade back while Itachi's katana bounced off it and left a strange glow over the sword. He turned around and gripped his blade with both hands. Itachi ducked underneath the red guillotine and listened as the blade cleaved through the roof of the car behind him. He leapt up, aiming the hilt of his sword towards the Faunus' chin as the redhead blocked it with his palm._

_They separated, the redhead stabbing his sword into the sidewalk to stop his push back as Itachi stumbled onto one knee. The Uchiha took a moment to catch his breath and glared at his opponent intensely as he could feel the red-haired swordsman do the same. _

_Itachi couldn't remember the last time he struggled in a fight. He was fairly skilled at his age, and didn't have much trouble defeating most criminals and people he crossed paths with. The last time he had been totally outclassed in any kind of fight was when he was training with his father._

_But this man was strong. His skill with a blade was as good or even better than his. And his strikes were somehow getting stronger the longer they fought. He never believed he would face someone so strong in his life again._

_Should he use his Semblance? No, it was too dangerous while there were still civilians in the area. He had to settle this by himself._

_"So tell me Uchiha," The Faunus spoke as he stood back up and slid the sword into the sheath in his hand, "How did you know we were going to come to this town? Were you tipped off or-"_

_"Just a coincidence." Itachi interrupted as he stood up and gripped his blade tightly, "I was here for a completely separate task."_

_"Hehehe..." The red-haired male chuckled and shook his head cheerfully, "I suppose whether it's destiny, fate, or whatever else may be pulling the strings, it has a very funny sense of humor, don't you think?"_

_"If you find this funny then you're the one with the twisted sense of humor. Terrorizing innocent people. Attacking anyone in sight for whatever your ideals are. Sorry but I can't let you continue doing these things."_

_"I noticed." He looked over and spotted the two soldiers he had killed moments ago before facing him again, "How easy was that for you? Like something inside you clicked and you just knew this was what you were born to do, am I right?"_

_Itachi refused to entertain him any longer and gripped his blade with both hands._

_"And still you continue. That's fine. You should know that in a war, people will always be lost on both sides. Humans. Faunus. There will be quite a few bodies by the time this war is over." He lowered his stance and gripped the handle of his blade before he turned back to Itachi, mask focusing on him, "And make no mistake Uchiha..."_

_"This is war."_

_He stepped in, crushing the distance between them in one simple move as Itachi's eyes barely kept with the movement. The Faunus unsheathed his blade and slashed at Itachi at blinding speeds, the Uchiha barely reacting and blocking the sword. He easily sheathed the sword again and released a barrage of quick draw cuts that Itachi had to parry as best he could. In just a few seconds, they exchanged nearly a dozen strikes with each other._

_Just as Itachi was prepared to block, the Faunus sheathed his sword again and kept it like that for several seconds. The Uchiha elder looked at him in surprise before noticing that his hair, mask, and clothes had a red shine to them as he lowered his stance. He moved-_

_DUCK!_

_Itachi fell to the floor and heard a silent swing followed by an immense rush of wind. The force from the Faunus' blade slashed with so much power that the air pressure cut through a building's wall several feet behind him. He looked back in shock before turning back towards his foe who was standing in the street like a statue and slowly put his blade away again._

_He couldn't half-ass this anymore. Whatever the risk, he had to face this fight at full power now. He looked up, focusing his gaze on the redhead-_

_"ITACHI!"_

_The bull Faunus reacted to the call and turned around to block the knife that came for the back of his head. His masked eyes crossed with Sasuke's newly formed red as he used a knife to cut against the red sword. Itachi recognized it as the knife he had used to kill those two Fang members. And despite the shock that Sasuke had finally achieved his Semblance in this dire moment, Itachi was terrified that his little brother had charged in to fight an opponent overwhelmingly stronger than him._

_But as their blades continued to scrape against each other, Itachi noticed Sasuke's hair and skin take on a light purple glow. It was identical to the way the red-haired man glowed a moment ago. Was Sasuke...copying this man's Semblance?_

_After a moment, the Faunus jerked his blade aside and completely shattered the knife in Sasuke's hand. The younger brother was shocked as he fell back with a broken hilt and the red-haired terrorist prepared to finish him-_

_"NO!"_

_Itachi charged in and knocked the blade aside before forcing the Faunus leader to jump a few feet away from them. He stood defensively in front of Sasuke and aimed the tip of his blade ahead at the masked swordsman._

_"Two of them?" He let out a disgruntled sigh and shook his head with a grimace, "I suppose the stories that your bloodline had died out were just an unfortunate fantasy." He noticed the sound of incoming Bullheads and even more sirens. He sheathed his blade and yelled out across the square, "THAT'S ENOUGH! WE'RE RETREATING!"_

_Itachi noticed the remaining soldiers falling back and escaping before they were outnumbered. Itachi stepped forward to stop them-_

_"Don't worry." The redhead spoke as he drew his sword quickly and slashed a car, watching it smoke between them before finally looking towards them, "We'll meet again."_

_The car exploded and the brothers were blinded by the smoke and explosion. By the time it settled and everything was visible again, the terrorist cell had retreated._

_Itachi finally noticed how heavily he was panting and slid his sword away. He turned around to look at his little brother, noticing Sasuke was taking some deep breaths to calm himself as well. He looked up and Itachi got a better look at his red eyes, exactly the same as his and their father's. He deactivated his set and Sasuke did the same, struggling for a moment before they returned to their solid onyx shape._

_"W-woah."_

_They looked over to see Deidara standing a few feet away just staring at them. One of his hands was free from its confines while the other remained in its case, his arms hanging at his sides._

_The blond bomber looked around once more, letting out a disbelieving chuckle before facing them. He shrugged, "Who are you guys?"_

_That...was a very good question._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"HAAA!" Naruto yelled as he leapt forward and spike one of his blades at the skilled Uchiha. Itachi turned out of the way and knocked the blade out of the air with his gun. However he was quite surprised as the blade was pulled on with a string around its hilt and he had to duck as it came at his head. The short blade sparked off the warehouse floor and back into Naruto's hand as he charged forward.

The blond Faunus spun through the air to give him some speed and power as he threw a kick for Itachi's head. But the brunette diverted the kick and forced Naruto to the side before following up for a swipe. Naruto quickly caught himself and turned with _Stormer_ in hand, slashing out at Itachi and forcing him away from attacking a blind spot.

Naruto kept three blades gripped between his knuckles and his long blade in hand as he lunged at his friend's brother. He first swiped with his triple blades and made Itachi backstep before following up with a slash from _Stormer_. He pulled back and went with a stab towards the older fighter who blocked and slid the small blade along the length of his sword. Naruto turned his katana in hand and disconnected from Itachi who turned to follow after him.

Naruto turned _Stormer_ around in a reverse-grip and parried the initial strikes before firing several arrows up at Itachi's chin. The Uchiha leaned back to evade before flipping back to avoided the following shots. Naruto dropped the knives from his fingers and let them hang on the end of their wires. With a mighty yell he spun the blades around and lashed out to the Uchiha.

Itachi dodged and let the blades tear through mannequins and crates. He jumped to the side as Naruto pulled the wires in and made an attempt to catch him in the slash. As the blades came back to his hand, Itachi charged in with his weapon at the ready. Naruto clicked his teeth and jumped back while firing a quick fire of arrows. Itachi's eyes turned blood red and he easily weaved around the arrows before closing the distance between them.

Naruto swung in to his head but Itachi lurched forward and landed a cut along Naruto's abdomen. The whiskered teen grit his teeth, stifling a gasp as a splash of blood seeped from his wound. He ignored it and let out a roar as he pulled the blades in and they slammed them into Itachi's back. The Uchiha went tumbling past him as Naruto fell to a knee and held his wound tightly to stop any more flow.

Itachi laid on the ground for a moment before jumping back to his feet and rotating his shoulders. He turned back around, completely guarded by his Aura as his red eyes focused on Naruto's downed form. He looked down at the blood covering the blade and nodded, "Your Aura doesn't protect you from strikes? You suffer cuts and bleed just like someone without any Aura."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and stood up to face his opponent. His hand fell from his side to reveal that the wound had mostly healed already and the blood had stopped.

"And yet you heal at a far more accelerated rate than normal people. Is that your Semblance?" His fingers drummed against the gun and his other was still hidden in his pocket, "That's interesting."

"Thanks." Naruto sarcastically thanked the man as he gave a strained smile, "I see bloodshot eyes run in the family as well." He gave a laugh and opened his arms up wide, "You wanna try copying my Semblance? I bet you'd be quite surprised with what you get."

"Sorry but you're mistaken." Itachi shook his head, "All Uchiha Semblances are identified by the activation of red eyes. But the abilities manifested from those eyes are different for everyone. Sasuke's allow him to copy the ability of anyone he sees. Mine...can be a little more hectic."

"So interesting." Naruto ribbed as he picked his sword back up and tightened his grip. The whiskered boy took a deep breath, showing off a smirk despite the panicked beating of his heart when facing this skilled fighter. Another crash of thunder echoed from outside and Naruto spoke, "You gonna give me a little look at what you have to offer?"

"No need." Itachi raised his gun and examined it closely, "There are 9 bullets in the magazine and 1 in the chamber. 10 in total." He lowered it to his side and stated factually, "That's all I need to finish this fight."

"10? I'm insulted. No Semblance and one-handed. I feel like I'm being underestimated."

"Not at all. This isn't me underestimating you." He raised the gun up and caught Naruto in the crosshairs, "This is me putting a limit to myself. By the time I fire all these bullets, I'll need finish this fight...or kill you."

Itachi fired and Naruto evaded the moment he saw the trigger get pulled. The bullet sped past him as he came running in at the side. Itachi seemed slow to react as he barely pulled out his other hand as Naruto pulled his blades back to strike.

But as he came swinging down, Itachi's right hand started to glow bright red and orange. A blast of fire shot out of his hand and impacted on Naruto's sternum, blasting him back and into a pile of crates. Naruto gasped and coughed violently, gripping his chest and looking down to see the hole that burned through his vest and left burns on his skin.

Before he could stand back up, a wave of freezing air and ice frosted over him and the crates. He felt his whole body shiver in an almost numbing cold as he gasped for air. He trembled and looked up to see Itachi's hand outstretched towards him with a blue glow now. He clenched his fingers again and his hand glowed yellow now, tearing away at his sleeve as a bolt of lightning shot out and struck Naruto.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto screamed in agony for several seconds before the bolt finally ended and Itachi lowered his hand. Naruto gasped for air before toppling over and seizing on the ground while his body twitch. He felt needles stab and twist through his entire body as he struggled to move even one muscle. He lifted his head off the ground and looked up at his opponent...

Itachi's face had twisted in discomfort as his right hand started to spasm. Along his arm there were several crystals surgically implanted into his flesh as his whole arm gave off an unnatural glow.

"D-Dust?" Naruto stammered as he pushed himself up on his hands and knees panting, "Y-you forced Dust in y-your arm?"

"I needed every advantage I could to face the White Fang. They're getting stronger...more bold...more dangerous..." Itachi struggled to close his hand again before a green glow emanated from the skin, "So I had to do the same."

He pointed out as several blasts of wind flew at Naruto, forcing him to ignore the pain and sprint away from the attack. The blond's vision blurred for a moment as he made for the door. He'd figure out how to handle the bomb but he needed to esca-

Another shot was fired and Naruto dove to the floor to avoid the bullet. He grabbed one of the short blades from his back and tossed it as hard as he could at Itachi to distract him. But he was denied the reprieve as the Uchiha simply activated his fire again and destroyed the blade in the air. Naruto watched in shock as the destroyed hilt and scrap metal dropped to the floor between them.

The whiskered Faunus looked at his broken weapon before looking back up at the man responsible. He took a deep breath and gulped, "Y-you said you'd either finish this fight or kill me, right?"

"That's right."

"Does that mean...you aren't trying to kill me?"

"That's right."

"..." Naruto was baffled by his decision and asked, "Why?"

"Because..." He raised the gun again, "I'm not the one that has to do it."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

No matter how long or intently they stared at the picture it didn't change in the least. That town was still on fire. Naruto still had fox ears on his head. And he was still dressed in a White Fang outfit with half a mask and half his face in blood.

Sasuke watched his friends' reaction through a dirty mirror along the wall of the warehouse. Even though they couldn't speak right now, their expressions were enough for him to understand what they were feeling. He lowered his head sadly as Deidara walked back around him, "There. You've been with these guys how long now? I've been more upfront with them in a few minutes than you ever were."

Sasuke bared his teeth and his eyes changed red, glaring up at the casual way the bomber so easily destroyed the life he had with his friends. Deidara just narrowed his eye and scowled, "Don't look like you're the victim here, brat. This is all your doing. This is your fault."

"Just stop Deidara." The snappy blond and some of the students looked over to see the blue-haired woman step away from the spot she had propped herself against. She crossed her arms sternly and glared at Deidara with disappointment, "Stop tormenting him for your own self-satisfaction. It was amusing when you pranked him years ago but now it's just cruel."

"Yeah, I bet you know a little something about cruelty, don't you." The bomber snipped and earned an angry glare from the ponytailed woman, "Well tell me then, Guren, do you know why I might be acting cruel?" He asked rhetorically as he exaggerated his words, "Why I might want to torment this little shit stain?"

"Because you're incredibly spiteful and vindictive."

"WHAT?!"

"I said you're spiteful." Over on the other side of the warehouse and sitting by the weapons they had confiscated from Sasuke and Team RWBY, the green-haired man was sharpening his pronged swords with a whetstone. He was strangely calm as he sharpened his sword and spoke out to the explosive fighter, "You've always been like that Deidara. You live a very eye-for-eye kind of lifestyle. If someone hits you, you hit back. When we insult you, you come back full force. Itachi has been very worried and afraid for what state Sasuke has been in these last few years," He gave a light wave to the situation around them, "You decided to take it on yourself to return that worry and panic on him in full measure. That's just the sort of guy you are."

Deidara's mouth open and shut several times trying to find an argument to use before he grumbled and threw his arms up. There was just no getting to these people without them bitching back at him.

"Guren. Raiga." The two other members looked over at the boy kneeling and facing away from them. He raised his head a little, daring to look back at them but knowing he'd just get struck and forced back before he could, "You joined them on this?"

"That's right." Raiga evenly stated.

"Why?"

"Because we owe Itachi everything." Guren said as she stepped forward, making sure to stay out of Sasuke's sight so that he couldn't copy her Crystal, "You know where we came from before we joined you. The emptiness we felt. The darkness we were saved from when we were given the chance to fight for a purpose."

"We owe your brother our lives." Raiga added, "We'll follow him, wherever he goes and whatever he does."

"And that includes attacking students? Children?" Sasuke muttered, tensing his shoulders as he spoke up, "You all decided to walk a dangerous path because you believed what you'd be doing was the right thing. Something just. You were willing to wage a war against the White Fang. To meet them wherever they may attack and fight back for the defense of the rest of the world. People that couldn't fight themselves! But I can't do that!" He shook his head, "I can't fight alongside you! I-I tried but I can't! And you're just wasting your time trying to take me back! So just leave me behind! There's no reason for me to be there with all of you!"

"I couldn't believe it." Deidara said in an annoyed tone as he walked back around and faced Sasuke, "I know I was angry but you've really changed. Have you really forgotten?" He grabbed his own head, "Have you gone so damn blind you can't even fucking fathom the reason we might be here right now?!"

The younger Uchiha just looked up at him silently.

"He's your brother. Your his blood." Deidara laughed derisively, "God I remember a time when that actually meant something to you! But I guess you must've just been faking it back then too, right? Did you ever want to see him again? Did you ever think about coming back to Itachi's side someday? Or even just to see him? The last of your bloodline? The only other member of your family? The man who raised you from childhood after your parents died?! Your brother?!"

Sasuke eyes had widened and he was reeling back from what Deidara said as the bomber continued, "Did you know he basically went on a crusade to try and find you? He hit every White Fang hideout we heard about. Attacked every rally he could find. His rampage was so fierce that the leaders of the White Fang finally started to take notice of the fact that there was an Uchiha capable of stopping them."

Blake lowered her head sadly remembering the anger in her partner's face years ago. She looked at the back of the young swordsman and could feel his fear coming to the surface.

"He did it all for you. He'd do anything for you. He'd give anything up for you. He's changed and tortured himself for you. I thought once you might have done the same for him..." Deidara shook his head, "Clearly I got that wrong. Itachi wants to protect you? You're not even worthy to be his brother."

"BULLSHIT!"

Sasuke sat up in surprise when he heard Kiba yell at the top of his voice in anger. The others looked at the tattooed boy in surprise and noticed he had slipped the restraint from his mouth, "This is complete and utter bullshit! Sasuke, I don't know what kinda stupid games your brother and his groupies like to play but you seriously gotta consider sticking him in an asylum! I bet his little team of fanboys will just follow him in there no problem!"

"Grr!" Deidara growled, "Guren," He waved to the blue-haired woman, "Put the cloth back in and shut this kid up!"

"No thanks. He looks like a biter." The Crystal woman nonchalantly denied the blond's request and ignored his furious glare. She wiped her hands over her pants, "Tying them up and gagging them was your weird decision. You fix it."

"She has a point Deidara." The green-haired swordsman agreed, "Your bondage fetish, your responsibility."

"It's not-"

"Hey! Assholes!" They looked back over at Kiba as he and the other captured students started to get more rowdy and active in their predicament, "Don't ignore us! If Sasuke's brother has something he needs to work out with Sasuke, then he can talk to him about it! Like a normal fucking human being! Don't think he can make this any easier by bringing his team of crappy traveling thespians to put on a show to trick us! And don't think you can trick us by using some crappy photoshopped picture and telling us Sasuke tried to kill Naruto!"

"MMMM-HMMM!" Ruby gave a muffled yell of agreement through her cloth as Nora, Jaune, and Yang joined her. The rest...didn't deny it as strongly.

"I will admit that our idiot friend does have a knack for trying to make things dramatic and turning them into a spectacle. He thinks he's an artist," Deidara's eye twitched at Guren's glib, "But make no mistake...what we've said so far is true. Your friend is a member of the White Fang...and Sasuke tried to kill him."

"And I'll say it again! That's bullshit!" Kiba furiously denied with a cocky, proud smirk, "Naruto's an idiot and a screw-up, but he's our friend! He's never believed in what the White Fang has done! And I'd sooner believe Grimm could talk than Naruto would join them for any reason! And Sasuke's his best friend! He'd never try to hurt him like that!"

"Fine. You don't have to believe us." She crossed her arms and nodded to the boy in question, "But ask Sasuke. Ask him to tell you otherwise."

"Sasuke! Tell them to shut up! Tell them to stop lying about this!"

"..."

Kiba's quick breathing was the only noise outside of the pouring rain outside. They look at the back of their friend on his knees as his head fell lower from their sight. Kiba yelled, "Tell me they're lying Sasuke! Tell me they're just trying to trick us! They hurt Tenten and Pyrrha! They captured and tied us up! They're trying to tear us apart! So tell me they're lying!"

Sasuke still didn't answer.

"Say something dammit! Say anything!"

Sasuke raised his head to look into the mirror again to see their expressions. Kiba was huffing and flaring his nostrils in anger, his eyes trembling as he realized what Sasuke's silence said. Ruby looked scared and Yang just seemed to get angrier with each passing moment. Tenten was still unconscious by Kiba's side...he was thankful he didn't have to see her face when she learned about what he and Naruto were.

Jaune's eyes looked like they were about to water and he looked down at Pyrrha just to focus on something else. Nora was furiously chewing through the material in her mouth. Ren sat silent by her side, his eyes much calmer as he tried to assess this situation. Blake had a mix of emotion on her face. She looked frightened, but she had nothing to fear even if she was a Faunus. They only focused on the White Fang. But Sasuke also noticed that her eyes were sad at the fact that Naruto had been a member of the White Fang. Whatever their friendship was like...she probably never guessed that he had fought for the White Fang. What was she thinking right now?

But the worst had to be Weiss. For the first time since he had met her she seemed...blank. She hadn't looked up from that photo since Deidara had dropped it. She just stared at it. Like she was expecting the picture to burst open in a blast on confetti with a fold-up banner falling down to say she'd just been pranked.

But it wouldn't.

What she had told him about being a target of the White Fang for so long...and now learning someone so close to her had been a member. It must have been terrifying.

He wish he could explain it to her. To everyone but especially her. Why Naruto did it. Why he didn't kill him. Why they ran. But to explain their reasons right now...it felt like a moot point to make.

"NAW - HEY, BIG FAT GREEN JERKFACE OVER THERE!" Nora had completed chewing through her gag and decided to pick a yelling match with Raiga, "Yeah you, with your silly dumb swords that look like you got them cheap from the blacksmith bargain bin! I'm talkin' to you mister!" She got the big guy's attention and she gave him the dirtiest glare she could muster, "You ambushed us, captured us, nearly broke our leader's arm, and knocked out our Pyrrha! You crossed the line fella! And that deserves a nice big sucker punch from me to get even!"

Raiga barely seemed to register the threat as he stood up, "Please stop talking. If you keep causing trouble," He raised his hand to show the sparks going off between his fingers, "I'm going to have to put you out like your friend."

Nora smirked, "Go ahead. I bet it won't tickle."

Yang took advantage of the massive man's closeness and popped up on her feet to try and tackle him. He stopped her charge with one hand on her shoulder, forcing her back on a knee as he raised his sparking hand again. He shook his head, "I mean it. Don't make me hurt you."

She dared him. She dared him to see what happened next.

"Well your 'friends' sure like to stir shit up." Deidara monotoned as he looked down at the Uchiha, "See why you get along so well."

"Fine. You're right," Sasuke looked up at him with a exasperated scowl and annoyed tone, "I'm a terrible brother. I'm a liar. I'm a wasted effort. I'm all these things and more. But I'm also not going to fight this battle anymore. So even if I did come back with you, I wouldn't be of any help! So what's the point?! Why would you waste your time going through all these hoops?! Why not just bring everyone and bring me by force?! Even if you follow Itachi wherever he goes, if you're smart enough to know I'm not coming back, why would you waste your time?!"

...

Sasuke was panting after his screams before something dawned on him and he looked up at Deidara in shock. He looked into the mirror and caught Riaga and Guren's eyes, "What happened? What changed since I was gone?"

"Everything." Deidara said in despair, "It all changed."

"We didn't bring everyone with us here, Sasuke," Guren crossed her arms and looked down sadly, "Because we can't afford to all be in one place anymore. We lost a lot of people since you've been gone. Most of us, in fact."

"W-what-"

"The White Fang has changed." Raiga spoke after the rumbling of thunder, "Something happened to them. They're doing things differently. They're not attacking Faunus workshops or old towns or mine sites anymore. They're...acting differently."

This got the students' attention as they looked up at the green-haired man. He sat back down against his barrel and picked up his sword, "The White Fang have gone into hiding. They're acting more militaristic. More efficiently. We get word of their location but when we get there they've already moved out. Their movements and tactics have changed...drastically. But it's not just that..."

"They've got...something." Guren picked up, "We don't know who or what but they've got something different now. We got word of a hideout they had on the edge of Vacuo a few weeks back. We went to go crash it and take out who we could but when we got there we saw this - this thing," She struggled to find the proper terms to describe what she saw, "It looked like a man but he was covered in Aura. It flowed off him like air and it looked white like milk. We tried to fight them off but he moved so fast. Like a bullet. We could barely react in time. Before we knew it the whole of downtown was nearly destroyed. We got out of there before they could catch us but four of our guys succumbed to their wounds." She scoffed in disbelief, "He broke through their Aura like cardboard paper and snapped them apart like twigs."

"It's not just for Itachi." Deidara stated as Sasuke looked up at him, "We need all the help we can get. And you have a skill that can match and fight that power. So we need you back, no matter how much it makes me want to throw up."

The younger Uchiha took a moment to think about what they had said. The White Fang had changed. They were becoming more organized. More focused. And they were gathering up some kind of new power to help them reach their goal. Something so strong that even Itachi couldn't handle it alone.

So they come to bring him back. Get some ground to stand against this new threat. Maybe hope that his Semblance could copy whatever power the White Fang had found. Itachi confronts him first to try and convince him but he tells him he doesn't want to fight anymore. So they decide to involve their friends. Get their attention. Separate him from Naruto so that he won't change his mind.

But he was here now. Why would they keep his friends around? And was Itachi going to try and kill Naruto himself?

"Why did you bring us here?" Deidara looked down at him, pulling his attention away from the commotion the others were causing as Sasuke asked with distress in his voice, "Why did Itachi have to face Naruto alone? Why are you keeping them here with us?" He felt like he already knew the answer, but the fear was so gripping that he had to know the truth, "What's going to happen?"

Deidara looked back up to see the Hunters-in-training trying to rile Guren and Raiga up for an opening. But his comrades were dealing with the matter so that left him to speak with the traitor. He bent down on one knee to face Sasuke directly and said in a hushed voice, "We need your strength Sasuke. It can be about Itachi's love for you or us forcing you back, and you can say that you won't fight but at the end of the day we need your power to win. So we need you to come back."

Sasuke face twisted in a scowl as he growled, "Fine. I'll come back-"

"No." Deidara stopped him halfway with a slow shake, "No, it's not that easy. We can't trust you anymore. Not like we did. You can say you'll come back with us as much as you want. But the truth is that we can't be sure that one day, one night, when we least expect it..." He pointed back at his friends, "You'll abandon us again...go running back to this little life you've been trying to make. So we need to put an end to it."

"Deidara," Sasuke's eyes went red again, "If you hurt them-"

"No. We're not going to hurt them. Don't forget that we're on the side of helping the innocent. And even if this might be stretching it, we never had the intention of hurting any of them." Deidara looked down, "But we need to cut your ties with this lifestyle. And we also need to make sure you can fight this fight, even if we have to force you to do it. And so we thought we might be able to kill two birds...with one fox."

It was silent between them for an instant. All the arguing and yelling and rain and thunder petered out as Sasuke stared at the blond in front of him. His eyes slowly widened with realization, "N-no-"

"Itachi went to capture him. He's probably on his way here right now. And when he arrives...and when we put that criminal in front of you...you're going to finish what you started."

"I won't." Sasuke shook his head, "I won't do it."

"Fine." The blond shrugged, "Then we'll take him with us. Wherever we might go. We'll use him for information. Find out whatever we can from him."

"H-he doesn't know anything-"

"We won't know until we try. And if we have to give him up in case the White Fang come chasing after us, that's fine too." Deidara's face never changed from its stalwart glare while looking at the boy, "You remember what the White Fang does to traitors, right? What happened to the people that ran away and never came back? Do you really want to put your friend through that?"

The ones that were found...that were recovered...were taken apart. They barely looked like people anymore. And if they tried to get the information out of him, they might put him through torture. Pain and torture from a vigilante group or a slow death from the scorned terrorist organization. Or...

"He made his choice, Sasuke. And now he has to pay for it. Question is do you think he should suffer...or should it be quick?"

...

"Fine."

"Say it loud." Deidara stood up again and crossed his arms, "Say it so they'll know."

"Fine!"

The arguing went quiet behind him as Sasuke looked into the mirror again. He could see his friends turn to look at them. He closed his eyes...lowered his head...and said the accursed words.

"When Itachi brings Naruto here...I'll kill him."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"AGH!"

Naruto jumped out of the smoke after the heat felt like he was being cooked alive. He stumbled over the ground before he saw Itachi running towards him with his hand glowing blue. He slammed it into the floor and created a sheet of ice that spread out towards his feet. Naruto ignored the pain and fatigue over his body as he sprinted and jumped over the expanding ice before it could get him. He turned in the air and threw one of his small blades at the Uchiha.

Itachi easily dodged the blade and swiped his knife up to cut through the wire, detaching the blade completely as it clattered to the floor behind him. He turned around and threw a mule kick out into Naruto's crossed arms and sent him soaring back over the ice. The blond Faunus rolled along the ground before forcing himself to stop and regain his bearings. He pulled the last two blades he still had in his possession and spun them in his hands before sprinting forward.

Itachi raised his weapon in return and dashed in to meet him. Naruto swung his blades in and heard them stop against the blade along Itachi's gun. He separated from his opponent and swung out to feel Itachi block and step in to strike. Naruto duck and dove for his legs, turning over the ground to slash out as Itachi leapt over him and blocked. The blond braced on the ground and jumped back up, swinging his swords out and forcing Itachi back. The Uchiha slid in, wrapping his arm around Naruto's extended arm and attempting to bend it, but losing the grip as Naruto jumped over and slipped his arm from his grasp.

Itachi activated the Dust in his arm, stifling a grunt of exertion as his hand started to crackle with lightning. He sent strikes and jabs out at Naruto's head but they were knocked aside with the hilt if Naruto's swords. Bolts of electricity discharged in every direction as Naruto narrowly avoided his hand and blade.

The blade cut through his shoulder as Naruto landed a fist against Itachi's cheek. A palm strike and a shock of electricity landed on his ribs as his uppercut connected to the Uchiha's chin. For every hit he received, he gave one back to his friend's powerful brother.

He knocked Itachi's weapon back and brought both blades down like an X towards Itachi's chest. However the Uchiha caught both blades where they overlapped, and change his property to ice as the short swords froze over. With a quick tense of his grip and a sharp pull, the once hard steel broke apart like brittle ice.

Naruto quickly aimed his hilts at Itachi and fired a rapid barrage of arrows at him. Itachi was forced to retreat, blocking some of the arrows while others landed over his body and Aura. The arrows flew for several moments before Naruto heard his hilts click empty with all their ammo gone.

The Faunus slowly lowered his arms and dropped the broken blades by his feet.

His throat was dry and hoarse. His breathing was uneven and haggard. Naruto could taste blood in his mouth. And could feel where the blood from his healed wounds had dried over his body. Even if there were no more lasting wounds, the ones that he had received were so painful that he could still feel a phantom itch where they hit. His eyes wandered over the warehouse and spotted where his blades had been knocked away, imbedded in a stray mannequin or crate. _Stormer_ was fortunately behind him now with his back to the door, exit blocked with a booby trap.

His eyes slowly turned back to his enemy. While he did get some good hits in, Itachi hadn't received nearly as many attacks as him. And no matter how much he moved or dodged, Itachi always seemed to find a way to hit him again.

This guy...he was too strong.

Itachi slowly opened and closed his hand while making sure his supply of Dust hadn't run out yet. After he was sure that there was still substantial Dust to use, he looked up to the tired blond, "You are very skilled for someone your age. I can see why Sasuke respects you so much. And how you've manage to fight by his side so well. But we're nearing the end of this fight." Itachi looked down at his gun, "I've fired 9 shots now. You remember what that means, right?"

"Shut up." Naruto snapped at him fiercely with a snarl of his teeth, "I don't need your constant update about how you're going to kill me."

"I told you I'm not going to kill you. And I offered to make this go faster-"

"You also said you weren't going to be the one to kill me, which means you want someone else to do it! So excuse me, but given the chance, I chose to fight!" The blond slowly stood back up and struggled to turn around for his katana. He picked it up and noticed that it was lighter than usual. It was out of arrows as well. He clicked his teeth and turned back around, "I'm not ready to lay down and die just yet."

Itachi watched the younger man face him again with sword in hand. Ready for one last stand against him no matter what happened next. In the time they'd been fighting Itachi noticed that more than his agility and adaptability, this boy excelled at being tenacious. He refused to stop fighting or give up. Even against an opponent with better skills and more experience, he was determined to come out on top. If he were any other man, these traits would be quite admirable.

But this wasn't any other man...

"May I ask you something? Why are you fighting?" Naruto stared at him strangely as Itachi continued, "Somewhere deep inside you...you have to understand what you've done." He tried to reason with this man so they could finish this easier, "I know you probably believed what you were doing was for the benefit of the Faunus. But what we do...that's for the benefit of the people that were victimized by the White Fang. All the lives lost...the homes destroyed...the people that were ruined by your actions are the ones we fight for. If you understand that, and you truly care for your friends, then just lay down your weapon-"

"Shut up."

"You can't still think I'm wrong!"

"I didn't say you're wrong! I said shut up!"

Itachi watched Naruto as he calmed his breathing after his spiteful outburst. Even after calming down, his scowl and glare never faltered from Itachi's form, "I don't need you to come here and tell me what I already know. I know what I did. The people I hurt. And despite why I did it, I know exactly where I'm going when I clock out." The blond said all this without a single shift in his voice recounting this to his attacker, "But I can't focus on that right now."

He closed his eyes, remembering the faces of his friends, his life at Beacon, and his father again. He opened his eyes with a glare and slammed his fist into his own chest, "I want to make up for what I've done! And I can do that here! I have something I gotta do! And until I've done it, I'm not gonna die just yet!" He raised his blade up towards Itachi, "So once I'm done kicking your ass, I'm going over to that other spot! And I'm saving my friends and Sasuke!"

"Sasuke's my brother. He was never in danger to begin with."

"If you were really his brother, then you'd stop forcing your brother to be a part of this battle." Naruto pointed at himself, "As far as family goes...I'm a better brother than you!"

...

Itachi merely narrowed his eyes in contempt before raising his gun. Naruto held his blade tightly as the hammer cocked back, "Are you ready?"

Naruto's answer came by way of the tightened grip on his sword. He raised it higher in defense, his whole body going still as he prepared for the next shot.

When it came, he'd need to dodge. He wasn't sure if he could deflect a bullet when he was this exhausted, and even if he did Itachi would take advantage of that moment to attack. But if he dodged when it came, he could dash in and attack. He had to do it before Itachi could activate his Dust again. If he could overwhelm the Uchiha before he could attack, he'd bring down his Aura reserve and finish this fight. Then he could get to his friends...

His Semblance? Should he-

No. Too risky. Against someone as skilled as this, he couldn't afford to lose focus.

He just needed to end this.

He saw Itachi's finger tense on the trigger. Naruto grit his teeth and leaned to the side as quickly as he could before Itachi could compensate for the change. He heard the gun go off, the bullet whizzing by his head and away from him completely. He yelled and shifted forward-

"Where was I aiming?"

That's when Naruto heard something. The bullet break through something followed by a high-pitched tone. His eyes widened in shock before he looked over his shoulder.

The booby trap. The bullet shattered the Dust and the whole mechanism started glowing red.

A violent explosion went off behind him, overloading his senses with the deafening sound and blasting him off his feet from the shockwave. He let out a soundless gasp before opening one eye and seeing Itachi had sprinted in while he was knocked forward.

Itachi's red eyes flared and he slashed, leaving a deep gash along Naruto's stomach that spewed blood. He reached out and touched the wound with his glowing blue hand, flash freezing the wound in a line of red ice.

Naruto's sword clattered to the ground as his body bounced and tumbled over the floor. He came to a slow stop and his whole body laid motionless on the floor.

The Uchiha lowered his weapon slowly while lightning and thunder struck outside. The smoke from the bomb was sucked out by the torrential wind of the storm. When it was all gone, Itachi turned around to look at his foe.

The red streak of ice along his stomach stopped the blood from leaking out. But the pain had been so bad that he passed out. He couldn't fight anymore.

This fight was over.

Itachi had won.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Well, another chapter down. And this one had a whole lot more stuff going on.**_

_**I hoped you all enjoyed it.**_

_**So, let me formally introduce you to the Uchiha fighting force, the group gathered together in opposition of the terrible advance of the White Fang. I'll be honest and tell you I had a hard time deciding who I wanted to have to introduce this group to the story. I mean I have a rough plan of what they're going to do later on, but I needed to introduce them now, and do it with effective people. I juggled with a few choices before landing with the final product. There may be more people in this group later on, and I might need some help choosing who they may be, but for now we can focus on the core four.**_

_**Itachi. Deidara. Guren. And Raiga.**_

_**In case those last two are foreign to you, I took them from the Naruto filler.**_

_**DA DA DAAAAAAAA! Yes, the dreaded Naruto fillers. They're numerous, and difficult to handle, but they have a few jewels in the rough. Jewels I can exploit for my stories!**_

_**And Deidara...well he had a partial obsession with Itachi and the Uchiha in the manga...felt like I could use that here.**_

_**Anyway...get ready for the next chapter. Let's see what happens next.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	38. (No) Place For Heroes

Hunting or Bust

Dust 33: (No) Place For Heroes

So I'd just like to say...thank you for the overwhelming amount of reviews, Favorites, and Follows for these last few chapters. Your support, positive criticisms, and reviews have really touched me and I finally feel like this story is become something bigger than what I ever thought it could be. Thank you.

Now in return I give you the climax...

And the thing you've been waiting for so long.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"This - this feels weird."_

_"Oh grow up. It looks good on you."_

_Sasuke fiddled with the sword and sheath now attached to his right hip. He struggled to get used to having a weapon heavier than a knife on his person now. He kept one hand on the hilt of their family sword and looked up at his brother curiously, "Are you serious about sticking me with this thing?"_

_"Of course I am." His brother nodded with a smile, "That sword has been through a lot of battles and wars, and it's always done the job in the hands of an Uchiha. Dad fought with it. I fought with it," Itachi patted his shoulder, "Now you'll be protected by it as well."_

_He still didn't feel right taking this sword when Itachi could do so much more with it. His face twisted with uncertainty as he shook his head, "I seriously think that you should have-"_

_"Sasuke," Itachi voice become dull and he didn't look amused to still have this conversation, "It's your blade now. You use it. End of discussion."_

_Sasuke sighed before relenting and tapping the hilt of the sword._

_"Let me ask you something in return," Itachi looked down at the brand new sheath that held the blade, "Are you sure you want to use the same kind of weapon that guy used?"_

_"Yeah, definitely." Sasuke nodded firmly with a confident smile, "This will remind me what we're fighting against...and who it is we have to face at the end of that fight."_

_Itachi merely smiled proudly at his little brother's proclamation. He looked so much older with that sword at his side. He would be the mightiest warrior Remnant had ever seen._

_"That being said..." Sasuke droned as his eyes panned over to looked behind him with an annoyed grimace, "Are we seriously letting these people tag along?"_

_Itachi looked up and at the sizable group of people around them that were going to join them from now on. The older brother rolled his eyes with a sigh and spoke in a hush voice so only Sasuke could hear him, "Don't start again. You know as well as I do that the two of us have no chance of fighting a group like the White Fang alone. We need to increase our ranks and enlist people that want to fight for a cause."_

_"But these people?" Sasuke looked back over the less-than respectable or reputable people that had come to join their new group. His eyes landed on a hulking green-haired man, "A mercenary." His eyes shifted over to a blue-haired woman that packed her bag, "An assassin." His eyes went blank with boredom, "And trash."_

_"I heard that you little brat!" Deidara yelled and waved his arms around in anger as the dozen other people gathered with them ignored him, "I'll kick your ass!"_

_"And we're orphans traveling like nomads about to form a team to counter a terrorist group." Itachi repeated, "All of these people want to do some good. Make a change. Get a second chance to do something right." Itachi said with a hopeful smile and a shrug, "We have to believe they want to do the same thing."_

_The younger Uchiha looked uncertain, "Can we trust them?"_

_"We can watch them for now. We'll see if they can have our trust after."_

_"Fine," But the young swordsman pulled on the new black jacket with their symbol on its back, "But do we seriously have to wear these silly little uniforms? They look so stupid and ostentatious...I mean I don't know what I was expecting from that guy but he could have at least tried."_

_"HATE! ALL OF MY HATE!"_

_Itachi tried to ignore Deidara's fiery temper and exclamation while the others held him back from mauling Sasuke. The elder brother fiddled with the lapel of his own jacket, "Well the White Fang is dressed in white with their emblem on the back. Deidara thought it would be poetic if we were in black." Sasuke's blank stare was the only answer he needed to give as Itachi sighed as his shoulders slumped, "Yeah I don't know either."_

_"YOU TOO, ITACHI?!"_

_Itachi looked up and saw that the rest of their new group had finished packing up belongings and provisions. He nodded and picked up his own bag, "Okay everyone, are you all ready?" He didn't get a proper answer as the large group of people just stared at him like they were expecting something. Itachi blinked in confusion and looked around at them all, "Is - um - is something wrong?"_

_"Is that it?"_

_"C'mon man I was expecting you to say something cool!"_

_"Speech!"_

_Itachi was surprised by the demand that was quickly agreed upon almost unanimously by everyone present. The older Uchiha stepped forward and rendered everyone silent as they waited for him to speak. He looked out over the crowd, "I guess I should probably start by saying thank you all for coming to fight this cause. I don't know all your names, and I'm sure you don't know ours...but I hope to learn them. I'm sure word spread rather quickly, from ear-to-ear about what we are going to do, but I'm going to be honest with you right now," Itachi's eyes narrowed while he looked out at all of them, "This isn't a game."_

_There was a soft round of muttering going through the crowd of people before he continued, "This isn't going to be for fun. It's not a joke and we aren't going to laugh about it when this is over. This is real. This is war we're declaring on the White Fang." Itachi's eyes hardened as he looked over them, "I know some of you may come from checkered pasts, but this isn't your opportunity to escape them. This is your chance to make up for them. Do some right to balance out your wrong. If you just want to fight, leave. If you just want to cause trouble, leave. If you only want to do this to hurt Faunus, leave. And if you're doing this for glory...leave."_

_Itachi remembered the tales his father once told him while he, his mother, and a baby Sasuke sat around the fire at night. The stories of the old Uchiha and the duties they carried out. The young man opened his eyes again, "We don't do this for praise. We won't be rewarded. We may not even be thanked for this job. But we're going to do it because we are the ones that can bear this weight. We have this duty...no matter how hard it may be. And if you choose to take it, to fight against the White Fang and protect the people...I will happily call you my brothers-in-arms." He saw a mix of firm nods and uncertain looks across the crowd before he hefted up his bag, "If we don't have anything else to say...then let's go."_

_They started filing back and heading out into the forest as Itachi and Sasuke brought up the rear. The younger brother chuckled and looked up at Itachi with a small smirk, "Good speech. But those were the same things Dad always told you about our ancestors, right?" The awkward silence as Itachi failed to respond was the only response he needed, "It's okay. I won't tell them that."_

_"Same thing goes for you, Sasuke." The younger brother looked up to see Itachi's eyes had narrowed while they walked alongside each other, "This is your last chance. If this isn't what you want to do, turn back now." He wanted to give his little brother one last chance to decide. They wouldn't be staying from town to town or city to city anymore. Most likely they would be traveling through the forests and make camp in Grimm territory to avoid getting caught by anyone. He remembered growing up a lot like this with Mother and Father when they were avoiding parties that wanted to hunt the Uchiha. Before Sasuke was even born. He made his choice, but Sasuke still had to make his, "So what will it be?"_

_"Does it even have to be said?" Sasuke pounded his chest and looked up at Itachi with a confident smile, "I'm by your side, Itachi. Through and through...until the end."_

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Another crack of thunder rung overhead as Sasuke kept his head hung in silence. After his announcement at accepting the plan his former friends and brother had for him, the entire room went silent. The other Beacon kids had stopped causing a commotion or attempting to escape after hearing what he said.

That he was going to kill Naruto.

After that they just seemed to lose their will to fight back. Like the last hope that this really was all just one big, elaborate - if truly horrific - joke had gone up in flames.

"Just so you know, this doesn't mean you get our trust back." Sasuke's eyes drifted over and he spotted Deidara in the corner of them with a neutral expression. The bomber kept looking down at him, "You got a long way to go before you can get that back," Deidara was silent for a moment after before giving a small nod to the younger man, "But I'm glad to see you aren't so far gone you'd forsake Itachi again."

"Sasuke."

Before Sasuke could respond, Kiba had spoken up as the only voice left in the warehouse. He looked in the mirror to see the others look at the tattooed boy while Kiba lifted his head, "I don't know what's going on...I really don't. I don't know if this is all true. If this is all as obvious as it seems or if there's something behind it all I can't figure out. I'm so confused right now that I feel like my goddamn head is spinning." He grit his teeth so hard the sound of grinding was almost audible, "And I'm pissed off. Really, really pissed off. Pissed off at you. At Naruto. Myself. And these assholes too!" He yelled with ire and a bite towards the other two Uchiha members before huffing through his nose and turning back to stare at Sasuke's back, "I'm pissed off and confused about a lot of things right now, but I know one thing for certain..."

Kiba narrowed his eyes, "You're lying."

...

The focus all went towards Kiba as he spoke without hesitation or doubt, "I don't know how this happened, and I don't know how much we know about you two is even true...but you're friends. That's the truth. That you can't deny. After what I've seen...you would never kill Naruto. So don't even say it." Kiba tried to stand up but Guren and Raiga quickly forced him back on his knees. Even so, Kiba yelled, "We'll get out of this! We'll find a way! So just focus! Focus on fighting back! On getting out of here! On finding Naruto, and getting back to Beacon!"

...

Kiba did hate dancing around the subject and preferred to just state it. Probably just hearing Sasuke lie and say he would kill Naruto had pissed him off, especially since the others seemed to have believed it. Sasuke had to respect that about him.

But this wasn't as simple as trying to figure out a way to escape. Their hands were tied, literally and figuratively. His hands were bound together in fact! And if Itachi came here with Naruto in hand, this situation would become even harder to manage. They didn't have many options.

But they didn't need many.

And Sasuke was fortunate that at that moment everyone was either focusing on Kiba or him. Because when Sasuke looked up in the mirror, he spotted something he was sure only he had noticed.

Pyrrha opening her eye and looking in the mirror back at him.

Deidara walked back over to his side and narrowed his eye, "Well Sasuke, is that true?" He sighed and shook his head, "Why am I even asking that? You're a liar. Of course you'd lie to us again." The blond's face twisted in anger and disappointment, "Well we'll see what kind of choice you make when Itachi - AGH!"

Deidara's was cut off as Sasuke jumped to his feet and slammed the top of his head into the blond's chin. Deidara's Aura protected him from a serious injury as he grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and forced him down on his knee, "Ah, you little fucker! You-," Sasuke struggled against Deidara's pressure, keeping his stance firm and forcing Deidara to step back as he pushed forward, "God - Guren! Raiga! Help me with him!"

They quickly pushed Kiba down and went over to help Deidara with the rowdy Uchiha, making sure not to get in his line of sight so he couldn't copy their Semblances. They each grabbed one of his arms locked behind his back and pulled him away from Deidara. The blond groaned, rubbing his chin before pointing at Sasuke with a growl, "You're really pushing it you little shit! If you actually thought you were going to get away just pushing me, then you-"

Deidara froze in shock as he finally noticed Sasuke's eyes. They had changed red with his Semblance, and narrowed with contempt towards Deidara. With Guren and Raiga directly behind him-

"GET AWAY FROM HIM-" He was cut off as Sasuke foot struck his chin again.

The two older vigilantes looked down in shock, noticing the crystal around Sasuke's hands started to glow brightly.

Before they were caught in the point-blank explosion.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Itachi started catching his breath as the soft patter of rain drifted into his ears. He looked back over again and saw Naruto's body was still lying across the ground. His eyes were focused on the blond's motionless form and tried to spot any subtle movements the downed boy might make, but none were made.

That was all the confirmation Itachi needed as he fell to one knee and gripped his arm tightly. His hand started to shake as the blue glow faded from his palm and the Dust started to power down. He struggled for air as he looked at where the Dust was embedded in his arm. The skin around the Dust crystals was discolored and the veins were visible along his arm.

A groan escaped as he tried to focus through the agony.

Every time he used the Dust - no, sometimes not even using it - he felt pain run up every nerve along his arm. His muscles felt exposed and like they were lit on fire. Not only that, but he had lost most feeling in his right arm. He could still only just close his hand to change between which Dust to use, but even that took effort some time. That damn 'doctor' must have botched the operation or something because when they went back to fix it, he had up and left town. Bastard.

But it certainly had its perks. Wielding the elements in battle made fighting much easier. And a portable source of lightning, fire, wind, and ice was handy at all times. It hurt like hell...but it was necessary.

He finally started to catch his breath as the pain coursing through his arm started to subside. He let out a shaky breath of relief as his shoulders sagged. Almost done. Grab him, get him to the warehouse, and Sasuke will finish it there. He knew Sasuke would hate him for doing this, but at least they wouldn't be separated anymore. This would all be over. They could be a family-

"Aaaaaghhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrr."

His eyes widened in shock as he turned around and saw Naruto slowly lift himself up on his hands and knees. A thin line of blood spilled from his chin and onto the floor as the ice in his stomach wound creaked with each movement. The young Faunus continued to let out a low groan and growl that mixed with the gurgle of blood in his mouth, "Rrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhh."

Itachi stood up and watched the boy in utter shock. He was certain he had passed out from that last attack. He shouldn't even be able to stand up with that wound in his stomach. So how was he doing this?

Naruto's Aura began to peak, a strong orange emanating from around the blond's body as he continued to shake on the floor. But just then the Aura spiked even more, the glow changing from just an outline around the boy's body into a full cover that shrouded his entire form. His arms and hands disappeared under the bright orange glow, becoming akin to claws that buried into the concrete like wet sand.

The solid glow encompassed the rest of his body, his clothes, pants, skin and hair - everything distinguishable on the teen's body being overtaken by his orange Aura. At last, the boy turned back to face his attacker as his face was the last thing covered by the Aura. His eyes were a lighter shade of orange, the cloak around his fox ears spiking up to make them look even larger, as he opened his mouth and roared, "WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The orange creature's roar came to an end and Itachi just stared in silent shock as the Faunus planted on his hands and feet like a genuine beast. The Uchiha could only stare as the boy's muffled and scratchy voice huffed through the Aura covering his entire body. He couldn't even spot him inside the heavy orange shroud. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes and gripped his gun tightly as he stepped forward, "I'm surprised you had something like this still in your sleeve...why did you-"

"WRAHHHH!"

Naruto sprinted forward, propelling himself across the warehouse on his hands and knees as he charged the older man like a wild animal. Itachi quickly jumped to the side, raising his weapon up in the block as Naruto's fist came in like a wrecking ball and smashed through the gun and into Itachi's arms. Itachi gasped in pain as he felt the massive pressure push against his Aura. He was sent flying into a pile of boxes and broken wood. Itachi lifted his head with a pained moan and looked down at the shattered remains of the gun in his hand.

He looked up just in time to see Naruto pouncing at him with his arm reeled back to attack. Itachi leapt over Naruto's attack as the Faunus swiped and left a deep furrow where his hand had changed into a claw and dug through the concrete. Itachi spun through the air and activate his Dust as his hand glowed red and he fired rapid blasts of fire over Naruto's cloaked body. The Faunus' Aura-clad body jerked and bent along with the fiery explosions before raising his head and roaring at his assailant.

Itachi landed and then quickly had to dodge again as Naruto chased after him with furious intent. His gargles and screams echoed around the broken-down warehouse as he slashed at Itachi and made the other man retreat. The black-haired man side-stepped a swipe to his head as he slammed his palm against the Faunus's temple, releasing a shock of electricity but failing to stop the rampaging monster at all.

A sharp swipe to the side forced Itachi to flip away. When he landed, he activated the Dust and released a powerful gust of wind and ice that enveloped the Faunus completely. But the Aura-clad boy just shook the ice off without a care and roared again.

He decided not to risk close-quarters combat while his opponent was clad head-to-toe in Aura. As Naruto charged forward to attack him again, Itachi slid out of the way and ran towards the gaping hole that used to be the doors. Once he was outside he slid to across the wet ground and waited outside for his opponent to chase after him. Itachi stood in the rain and watched the Faunus slow down and look around like a wild, frantic beast.

He narrowed his eyes and activated his Dust again, a faint blue glow on his hand and a bone-chilling freeze running up his arm. When Naruto came running out to attack, he'd freeze the rain water along the ground and stop his movement completely. He'd focus on what came after that once it happened. He saw Naruto turn towards him as Itachi raised his hand-

"RAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto roared as he pulled his fist back as far as possible. He threw his entire body into the punch as the Aura around his fist extended out and grew ten times its size. It demolished the remaining part of the wall and uprooted the ground as it barreled towards Itachi like a speeding truck.

Itachi's eyes widened and he raised his hand and changed it to wind. A cushion of wind blew him back into a pile of metal girders as the massive Aura fist retracted back to Naruto's arm. The Uchiha pulled himself out of the rubble with a pained groan and heard another wild roar from the young Faunus. He looked up to see Naruto clasping his hands together and stretching them out before bring them down on Itachi like a hammer.

The older man escaped from the pile of metal and just barely avoided the destructive force of the Aura attack. Lightning started sparking off his fingers, bolts of plasma spreading out over the puddles of water before they fired out at Naruto. The Aura-clad Faunus screamed as lightning danced over his body, the electricity dipping and spreading around the orange cloak before he roared and slammed the ground to clear it away.

This wasn't possible. This strength. This power. This look. This wasn't just a coincidence.

Itachi yelled, "What are you?! How can you do something like this?!"

As he waited for an answer, he realized he wasn't going to get one. The Faunus' attention darted around and looked at him curiously before growling again. He lowered himself back into his animal stance and looked ready to pounce.

Itachi caught his breath before asking, "Can-," He narrowed his eyes, "Can you hear me?"

"WRRRRR-RAAAAHHHHH!" Naruto sprinted forward and forced his enemy to defend as he attacked.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

In the middle of the explosion, Sasuke's senses were in total whack. His eyes and ears were still reeling from the blast. His equilibrium was shot as he fell to his knees, at least having the state of mind to see that Deidara and the others were on their backs while his friends called out to him.

And then he felt it.

Like his hands had been lit on fire, they screamed out in indescribable agony that nearly made him pass out. He struggled to breathe and looked down at the mangled state his hands were in.

Apparently even with Aura to protect him, releasing an explosion within your hands while they were sealed together didn't do much to protect him. The skin along his palms was seared through, burned red and black with some shards of crystal sticking out from the skin. Some of his nails had been blown off, and two of the digits' joints were bent oddly.

But if he didn't have Aura, his hands would be nothing but stumps right now.

Sasuke powered through the pain, lowering his hands out of sight as his hearing started to adjust. He heard his friends call out to him while their captors were still knocked down. He pushed himself up to his feet and quickly ran towards the Beacon students to help release them. But he had to jump up as crystal came spreading along the floor and attempted to lock his feet. The crystal wall blocked him from his friends as he looked back at Deidara, Raiga, and Guren all lifting themselves up, "Stop him!"

Deidara's palm started to spark and the blond yelled, releasing an explosive blast of fire at Sasuke. He had to quickly match the blast, activating Mirror and canceling the explosion with one of his own despite the pain piercing his hands. With the massive cloud of smoke between them Sasuke ran around the wall of crystal to reach his friend.

But from the smoke a jagged blade swung out for his head as he barely ducked it. A foot came out and struck his knee, toppling him to the floor before he looked up to see Raiga preparing to kick again. He jumped up to avoid a strike to the chin and back up in time for the two swords to close in on him from both sides. Sasuke quickly copied his Semblance, blocking one sword with his forearm and halting the other with a bolt of lightning. His arm went stiff feeling his Aura take the blunt of the attack but Sasuke had to quickly turn as Raiga swung for him again.

All these years and Riaga was still a truly exceptional swordsman. Even being able to follow his attacks better with his eyes and they still nearly blurred from existence.

Sasuke flipped away and felt his foot get caught in the floor. He looked down to see his shoe snared by the pink crystal. He slipped his foot out before the Crystal could cover his whole shoe and had to quickly run before she caught him again. As long as Guren had rock, cement, water, or even cloth to use, she could make a crystal to fight or catch her targets.

Sasuke sprinted around the wall and had a clear path to his friends. But instead he made a dash for where his and RWBY's weapons laid across the table. He almost reached it before he felt a sharp tug on his collar that stopped him from going any further. Through his peripheral he saw Raiga had grabbed him and halted his attempt to reach their weapons and fight back. He was almost pulled off his feet-

"NO!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as his leg kicked out into the bottom of the table and knocked the weapons into the air. With as much power as he could muster, he jumped into the air with one leg while still being held back by the collar. He stretched out, catching _Myrtenaster_ by its hilt with his foot before kicking it through the air, "PYRRHA!"

As the sharp rapier flew over head and towards the Beacon students, the teens all looked in surprise to see the redhead warrior wake from her slumber and already crouched on her feet. Without her legs being confined with rope or locks she jumped in the air and turned. The rapier ripped through the rope along her arms and she snatched the sword before falling to the ground again. With her friends surrounding her, she raised her hand up and back down.

The chains around their arms and legs were ripped off by her Polarity and clattered to the floor. With their constraints gone, Yang was the first to recover as she screamed at the top of her lungs and fire burst off her form. The flames of her Aura burned away the cloth in her mouth and turned her eyes red as she leapt off the ground and for Raiga. The green-haired man had to quickly release Sasuke and block her ballistic charge with his blade. Even with the guard he was forced back a few feet before slipping the blades between her arms and flipping Yang off her feet.

The blonde stumbled on her feet and looked up as Raiga came charging in and swung his swords down on her. But Blake came in at her side and knocked her back as the dual swords sliced her through. Raiga was surprised when the girl's corpse dissolved into nothing and she came jumping at him from the side and landing a punch across his cheek.

Pyrrha tossed Weiss her weapon and the Schnee heiress fell into her fighting stance before darting forward. Rapid discharges of her Dust filled one side of the empty building as the students helped each other recover. Kiba ripped the cloth out of his mouth and immediately went to undo the rope tying Tenten together. Once she was free, he gently picked up the unconscious girl and prepared to carry her out.

Ren and Nora ran over to the weapons and threw the remaining ones to their owners. Blake and Yang caught their respective arms and charged in to help their friend in the fight. Ren picked up _Crescent Rose_ and passed it to Ruby as Nora threw _Vollmond Reflexion_ to Sasuke, "Sasuke, catch!"

His hand went up on reflex to catch it but he immediately regretted the action when it hit his injured hand. He screamed and cradled his arm as his vision swirled. He took a sharp breath and looked up to see them staring at him in worry. Sasuke closed his eyes and forced his hand around his sheath, holding back the pained groan as he attached it to his hip and left a bloody handprint on the white sheath.

A massive wall of ice sprouted up from the middle of the building and grew up to spread over the ceiling. Weiss lifted the point of her sword up after blocking the Uchiha members off on the other side. The Beacon students came together and Ruby looked at the cracking wall, "They're coming! What do we do?!"

"We can't fight them!" Sasuke yelled, "We have to get out of here! Run!"

There was no argument as they sprinted out of the building and into the street and rain. They heard a loud explosion behind them as Deidara blasted through the wall of ice and the Uchiha started chasing after them.

The Beacon students sprinted through the empty streets as they escaped from their captors. They didn't dare look back. They did everything they could to stay at top speed.

Sasuke knew he had to help his friends escape, but he was too focused on making it across the city. He was heading straight to the industrial district.

Where Naruto and Itachi were.

"SASUKE! STOP NOW!" Deidara yelled behind them, all of the students drowning out his warnings as they focused on outrunning them. The blond grit his teeth and yelled again, "DAMMIT I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"

They refused!

Deidara came to a sliding stop along the slippery road. Guren and Raiga came to a halt beside him as he extended his hand and roared, "I! SAID! STOP - DAAHHHHHH!"

A massive bang rang out behind them and Sasuke knew in a instant that Deidara had released another explosion. He prepared to turn and counter it with his own-

"HYAAHHHH!"

The blast split in front of them before ever coming close and they saw their boisterous blonde stopping it. When the blast died out, Yang threw her fists back and launched herself forward with a powerful blast. She flew at the Uchiha members like a rocket and forced them back. She fired another blast to make her spin as she lashed out with her kick and caught Deidara in the side of his head. She fired a quick blast at Riaga and punched towards Guren as a wall of crystal raised between them with her flames dancing over the surface.

Raiga came at her side but was intercepted by Blake, Weiss, and Ruby coming to protect her. The older man narrowed his eyes and quickly defended against the rapid blade, rapier, and scythe strikes that attempted to overwhelm him. Random bursts of speed, clones, Dust, and electricity followed as they held each other off.

Deidara jumped back up on his feet and charged at Yang while she was trying to break down the crystal wall. She noticed him approaching and fired a blast of kinetic energy directly for his head. He countered the blast with a smaller explosion and reached through the smoke to grab Yang's arm. He pulled the younger girl off her feet and kicked out her legs making her flip in the air long enough for him to blow her away with a blast.

Yang rolled along the wet pavement before stopping on her feet and fixing into a boxer's stance, "You're gonna pay for that, prick!"

Deidara scowled and let a few small bursts of fire pop over his palm, "Bring it, bitch."

"Here we come!" Ren and Nora came running in together towards the crystal wall. Nora cupped her hands and Ren slipped his foot in her grasp as she tossed him over the top of the wall to face Guren again. Nora charged forward and with extra power in her limbs started pounding into the wall and climbing over it like a monkey. She finally climbed over and yelled with force in her usually bubbly voice, "Round 2!"

"Sasuke!" Kiba carried Tenten over to an alley and hid away to protect the unconscious girl from the intense battles taking place in the street. The tattooed boy looked over at the injured swordsman, "You're heading over to help Naruto, right?! Then get going!" Sasuke was surprised by his order, "We'll take care of this! Just go!"

"Jaune, you go with them!" Pyrrha said to her leader, "I promise we'll handle them and come back safe!"

"W-what?!"

"Ruby, you go with them! They'll need help!"

"Huh?!" The young leader looked at Blake in shock, "But I'm fighting-"

"Don't argue you dunce!" Weiss yelled as she fired icicles at Raiga as he effortlessly shattered the projectiles, "Just go!"

Sasuke was silent at their orders and spared Kiba one last look. He saw the deep scowl on the Inuzaka's face that didn't falter for even a moment. He knew instantly that what had happened wasn't forgotten or forgiven...just that they couldn't focus on it right now. Sasuke took a sharp inhale through his nose and grabbed his weapon before throwing it behind him, "Pyrrha!"

The champion reached out and caught the white sheath in her hand as her other instantly went up to the hilt. She saw Sasuke sprint down the street and Jaune hesitated, giving them one last look back before following after him. A blur of red and a flutter of rose petals passed her side as she turned around.

Weiss and Blake jumped back to avoid the bolts of lightning that chased them. Yang was blasted back after guarding against a powerful explosion. And Ren and Nora came barreling through the crystal wall after defending themselves from the quick pillars of pink Crystal that sprouted from the ground.

Deidara, Guren, and Raiga slowly stepped together and narrowed their eyes at the wall of students.

Pyrrha stepped forward, drawing _Vollmond_ from its scabbard before aiming the tip of the katana at her opponents. Her friends and teammates stepped up to her side as she declared, "From this point on...you will not pass us."

"We'll see about that."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Another blast of fire and searing hot wind flowed over him before being quickly switched out for freezing cold rain. Itachi lifted his head again and gripped his wrist tightly as the burning sensation settled along his arm.

He looked up and saw his beast-like adversary lift himself up from the smoke and fire. Once again even after being bombarded with fire and ice, being blown away by squalls of concentrated wind, and shocked with bolts of lightning...he didn't seem to pay it any mind.

Itachi wasn't sure how much longer he could do this. He didn't know how much longer this Dust would still be potent and if his Aura could keeping fueling his defense and offense.

This was what he got for not having a more dependable weapon. He only had his own arrogance to blame for this.

But he couldn't give up. If he could capture this boy and bring him back to Sasuke and the others...it would be over. His family would be whole again. For that he would face any monster or foe.

He saw Naruto spot him again, the fox Faunus tilting his animal-like head in wonder and focusing on him with those blank orange eyes before a deep growl came from his throat. Itachi glared and gripped his hand tightly as he channeled lightning to his palm. His palm glowed yellow and electricity traveled between his fingers as Naruto charged, "WRAAAHHHHHH!"

Naruto's hand snapped and stretched out towards Itachi like a bullet. The Uchiha knocked the hand aside with a hammer strike, knocking it down and uprooting the pavement beside him. The knocked aside Aura-claw jumped and came swinging into his side like a whip but Itachi ducked under it and sprinted forward. He closed the distance to Naruto and palmed the boy's face before slamming him into the ground and releasing the electricity. The electric shock spread out over the wet concrete and he was sure that he had finally downed the Faunus-

"GAAHHHH!" Itachi yelled in pain as Naruto's fist pulled back in and slammed into his back. He was flung off Naruto and rolled on the ground before Naruto jumped back up to his feet. He roared and threw his arms out as the Aura around them stretched out several meters. He howled and leapt at Itachi, spinning through the air as his arms struck like whips and shredded through concrete and metal.

Itachi quickly slammed his hand into the ground a blew himself up in the air with his Wind Dust. He flew up over Naruto and released another burst of air that knocked the Faunus into the ground. But not before Naruto's arms swirled over and grabbed Itachi's foot before pulling him out of the air. Itachi slammed into the pavement so hard it cracked before he was lifted high up in the air and slammed back down.

Itachi was swung and bashed around like a doll before being tossed aside into a pile scrap and barrels. Itachi laid in the pile of trash with a pained groan and gasped for air as he felt the rain pelt him. His head fell to the side and saw Naruto already coming at him with a wild yell.

Itachi activated his wind and rolled off the pile of metal before holding his hand out and blasting the pile at Naruto. The shards and barrels of metal went flying at Naruto like bullets as the Aura-clad Faunus charged through them. He didn't even seem to register the barrage of attacks before one corner of a barrel slammed against the corner of his head and sent him sprawling over the floor.

Itachi looked at the scene in surprise as he stood back up. He watched Naruto groggily lift himself up before landing back in his four-legged stance and catch his breath. Itachi's eyes widened as he finally started to calm down and look at the situation with more focus.

He wasn't invulnerable. No one was. It was just Aura. His Aura covered his entire body like a suit of armor but that wasn't much different from most people. His might make him stronger and even tougher to hit but if he kept attacking then Naruto's Aura will falter just like anyone else. There were still the injures before he covered himself in Aura, and he couldn't keep fighting forever. He may fight like a wild animal but he was still just a person underneath.

Itachi could beat him.

Naruto finally seemed to recover and released a berserk roar as he charged at Itachi. Itachi roared as well, sprinting to meet the Faunus head-on. Naruto reared his hand back and shifted his Aura into a claw that swung at the Uchiha's head. Itachi turned and evaded the swipe as he slipped by the Faunus and wrapped his arms around the boy's head. He pulled Naruto off his feet and slammed him down on his back before blasting the Faunus away with an intense torrent of wind.

Naruto's body bounced along the concrete before stopping on the spot and throwing a fist out at Itachi that extended and expanded to overwhelm the Uchiha. Itachi aimed down to lift himself off with a gust of wind but realized his Wind Dust had been used up. He clicked his teeth and jumped backwards before diving out of the way of Naruto's colossal attack.

The gigantic Aura hand shrunk back down to normal and reeled back in to Naruto before he yelled and started running at Itachi on all fours. Itachi narrowed his eyes and looked down by his feet to see several thin, sharp scraps of sheet metal being bombarded by the rain. He dropped to his knees and activated his ice before snapping his hand back up. The rain and sheet metal splashed up in front of him and waved his hand as the water froze around the metal.

Several icicles with jagged metal fell in front of Itachi before he snatched them from the air. He felt his Ice Dust run out and quickly switched it to Lightning as he pulled the icicles back. With a mighty yell he threw them as hard as possible as they were propelled forward with the help of the electric shock.

The icicles launched forward at incredible speeds towards Naruto as he continued charging forward. Most of them broke and missed him completely, but when he came out the other side he had an icicle or shard sticking out of his shoulder, abdomen, and leg. But he yelled and ran at Itachi without a care for the objects that pierced his Aura and body.

He was like a Grimm.

Mindlessly focused merely on attacking his target.

Itachi stood up tall and clenched his fists, struggling to close his right hand as he felt the electric glow slowly fade from his palm. He clicked his teeth as Naruto leapt up high and swung his stretched out arms down towards Itachi.

Itachi leapt over the first arm and used it as a board to jump over the next one that came swinging down. Itachi looked up and saw Naruto coming flying down at him like a missile and slammed into his chest. He flew back into the ground to see Naruto had anchored himself in the concrete and pulled himself down into him like a slingshot.

Apparently he wasn't as mindless as expected.

Itachi did a kick-up to avoid Naruto slamming down on his head. He heard the concrete break behind him and did a spin kick that landed beneath Naruto's empty eyes. The Aura-clad Faunus let out a pained, distorted yell before Itachi grabbed his arm and pulled him back in for a sharp punch. It didn't seem to do much so he grabbed the arm and attempted to flip Naruto over again, but was countered when the arm stretched in his grasp and did nothing to lift Naruto off his feet.

Itachi turned and raised his shoulder as a fist came and slammed into it, lifting him off his feet. He was pulled back in with the arm still in his grasp but blocked the second punch with his right palm. Itachi's eyes widened in pain but he grit his teeth and powered through it. He activated the Fire Dust and released a point blank explosion that blew Naruto away, "WRAAAAHHHHH!"

Itachi landed on his feet and gripped his arm as he saw the red glow in his hand start to fluctuate. He knew there wasn't much power left in his Fire Dust and once that had run out he would have to choose another method of attack. He looked up and saw Naruto slowly stalk towards him on all fours.

Itachi quickly bolted in the opposite direction as fast as he could, making large splashes as he ran through the puddles. He looked back to see Naruto sprinting after him and roaring on all fours. Itachi banked to the side and felt Naruto pass him as he ran back to the warehouse their fight had started in. He looked back and saw Naruto on his trail as he stretched out an arm to grab him-

Itachi flipped back and over the arm before landing on the Aura-construct and flipping off it again. He cleared over Naruto's body and turned in the air before releasing a massive blast of fire against Naruto's back. He sent the Faunus careening into the opposite wall and shattered it completely, bringing the entire dilapidated building crashing down in a cloud of dust and smoke.

Itachi landed just outside of the pile that was formerly the warehouse. He laid in the rain, gripping his arm from the excruciating pain that felt like it went down to his bone. He raised his arm up into view and saw that all four crystals no longer glowed or had any power left in them. And he felt the same, panting to catch his breath as his hand continued to shudder. He knew he barely had any Aura left in him, using it both to guard against the heavy attacks Naruto threw and to fuel the Dust he used to fight back.

Even with some the remains of his Aura, Itachi knew there would be bruises and cuts around his body that would take time to heal. This was one of the most exhausting fights he had ever had, considering he wasn't trying to kill his opponent. But after everything that happened he wasn't even sure if the Faunus was-

"WRAAAHHHHHHH!" Naruto popped out of the rubble and turned to face Itachi again. The Uchiha seemed to panic and try to get himself up to his feet as Naruto started running towards him, his body stumbling even on all fours but still charging forward. Itachi's eyes changed red and he prepared to use his Semblance-

"RAHHHHHH - GAAAHHH!"

The cloak of Aura that covered Naruto's body suddenly disappeared. The orange cover that hid Naruto's features and body suddenly dissipated and faded away just like anyone else's Aura. His eyes widened and he toppled off his feet and into the ground. All Naruto could do on the ground was scream in pain and clutch the red ice that was still stuck in his stomach.

His throat closed up before vomit filled his mouth and he started retching all over the ground. His eyes filled with tears from the pain as he noticed specks and drops of blood mixed with his bile. His vision barely focused enough to notice the icicles and shards that still stuck out over his body.

O-oh God, it happened again.

And he was out of Aura.

Naruto barely lifted his head before a foot came in and slammed against his cheek. He toppled back into the ground and groaned in pain as Itachi came walking up to his side. The Faunus struggled to lift his head and looked up at his attacker as lightning illuminated the sky. The thunder cracked and Itachi narrowed his eyes...

"What are you?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"DAAAAAA!" Deidara created another explosion that he thought hit the bow-wearing girl directly, but she escaped with her Shadow once again. He had to quickly side-step and dodge Blake's slashes and strikes before her loud blonde friend came flying down between them and fired another shotgun blast. Deidara quickly countered with his own blast and had to rapidly match her shots with his Explosion.

Yang's fists popped out of the fire and went straight for Deidara's head as he quickly ducked beneath it. The blondes exchanged quick strikes and punches, Deidara forced to take the defensive against the girl's superior striking power. Yang's rage peaked and Deidara noticed the increase of power in her punches as he felt the pain even through his Aura. When Yang's fists came in he countered their power with an explosion. But that only seemed to infuriate Yang more as she flared her nostrils and continued to press forward.

Blake came in towards his side and the blond bomber had to quickly avoid the slashes from both her swords and Yang's punches. A barrage of purple slashes, kinetic blasts, and explosions were exchanged between the three combatants. Blake was shocked at the Uchiha follower's surprising agility and dexterity to hold them off for so long.

Blake and Yang were both stopped when Deidara grabbed their blade and fist. Their eyes widened when they were suddenly enveloped in a point-blank explosion that blew them back. Blake grit her teeth and yelled as she pulled her arm in, "HYAAA!"

"AHH!" Deidara was pulled in by the ribbon Blake had wrapped around his ankle during their exchange. He was pulled across the wet street as Yang recovered and pounced at his downed form. Deidara could only raise his arms to guard as Yang's powerful punch landed on his cross and cracked the ground as he yelled in pain. He spread out his arms and released a massive explosion that blasted Yang and Blake away. The two girls fell back into their fighting stances as Deidara lifted himself up, part of his sleeve burnt off and a small burn on his arms that he paid no mind to. The partners dashed back in at him as Deidara yelled.

Weiss' blade clashed along the length of crystal as she flipped back to avoid Guren's attack. When she landed back on her feet Weiss waved her fingers around and created a Glyph under her feet that propelled her forward. A large spire of blue Crystal sprouted up from the rain between them and Weiss' rapier skid across it in a shower of sparks. Weiss stumbled from her failed attack and Guren fired several smaller crystals at her back.

Pyrrha stepped in and knocked the projectiles away with Sasuke's sword. The champion deflected all of Guren's attacks before spinning the blade in her hand and dashing at her foe. The blue-haired woman quickly created a long staff of Crystal that she used to block Pyrrha's strike. Pyrrha quickly righted herself and attacked again, the blade and crystal clashing in bursts of speed while Pyrrha fired a blast from the end of the shotgun sheath. Guren spun her Crystal staff to negate the fiery blast and made a small blade to block Weiss' surprise attack.

The former assassin held back the champion and heiress as the two students rapidly dashed and attacked in sync to overwhelm her. Guren held them off by raising pillars of her Crystal up and forcing the two girls to move around them before they barreled into them. Weiss struggled to get through the labyrinth of crystal as Pyrrha jumped on top of one and spotted Guren.

She manipulated the katana with her Polarity and threw it at Guren to force her back. The Uchiha follower blocked the blade as it flew through the air and back into Pyrrha's hand as the redhead pounced down on her. The redhead brought the blade down with extreme accuracy and started pressing the assassin back as Guren's crystal staff broke and she had to quickly replace it with another Crystal construct.

Guren was shocked when she found herself inside a spinning black Glyph that locked her in place before launching her back at Pyrrha. Pyrrha caught her in a clothesline and sent her crashing into the street.

Guren opened one eye and looked around to see herself surrounded by white Glyphs. She spotted Weiss holding out her blade with her eyes closed before they opened again and she was propelled forward by one of the white Glyphs. Guren protected herself with a pillar of Crystal as Weiss' blade skidded across before she landed against another Glyph and was launched back towards Guren to attack. Weiss disappeared in a white blur as her attacks bounced off against Guren's defenses and pillars.

Weiss came to a stop beside Pyrrha and the two Huntresses-in-training looked where Guren had surrounded herself in a complete barrier of her Crystal. The crystal exploded out in every direction to reveal Guren with two new weapons in her hands. The two Beacon students shared a look before sprinting in and clashing their weapons with Guren's.

Ren leaned back to avoid the cross slash of Raiga's blades before they could take his head. He flipped back to his feet and ran in, focusing his Aura around his body as he threw out a palm strike. It impacted against the sword before slipping off as Riaga moved and brought another of his blades down on his back.

"HAAA!" Nora exclaimed as she kicked the blade away from Ren as she brought another kick down on Raiga's collarbone. The mercenary grit his teeth and knocked the energetic girl away before Ren landed a strike to his gut. Raiga ignored the pain and forced Ren to retreat as he swung his blade down for his head.

The Beacon partners came together and shared a look before nodding. Nora yelled as she ran at Raiga and jumped to land a spinning kick against his arm. The bubbly girl threw out as many punches as fast as she could as her strikes rang out along the blades. Her fists met steel rapidly as her barrage of punches were blocked and deflected by Raiga.

Raiga struggled against her advance as he knocked aside her staggering punches with considerable effort. He noticed that the longer they fought, the more power was behind the short girl's punches. He yelled as he knocked Nora's fists down and then slammed them back up into her chin. He knocked Nora off her feet before smacking her away with a spinning kick.

His leg was caught when Ren dashed in and grabbed the outstretched limb. The green-clad boy pushed the man back and forced him to the ground. Raiga quickly clamored up to his feet as Ren dashed in and kicked at his head. Raiga blocked Ren's flurry of kicks and lashed out with a swipe of his sword. Raiga lunged for Ren's head and when the boy avoided he stepped in and swung both blades across his chest. This forced Ren to dodge too far and fall to the wet ground. Raiga flipped the sword in his hand and prepared to pierce down into the fallen boy.

Ren leapt up and into Raiga's legs, making the swordsman stumble back. He raised his blade up to attack again-

"OH NO YOU DON'T!"

Nora came running in and grabbed Raiga's hands before he could hurt her friend anymore. The short orange-haired girl struggled to hold back the taller man as she stood on her toes to grab his wrists. Raiga groaned and struggled to escape the duo that had bound his hands and legs. He clicked his teeth in annoyance before deciding to stop them from interfering altogether.

Sparks started spreading over his body before he released a massive discharge of electricity around himself. He felt the boy locking his legs spasm from the voltage and scream in pain before releasing his hold. But the girl-

"Hehe!"

Nora looked up at Raiga with a big smirk as the green-haired man looked in surprise. The yellow lightning from his Shock just seemed to dance over her body before fading under her skin and turning pink. The pink lightning accumulated around her biceps and Raiga yelled in pain when Nora turned his wrists with ease, yet he still held his blades. Nora threw his arms out and pulled her fist back before punching him in the chest, "HYAAAAA!"

"AGH!" Riaga was blown off his feet and sent tumbling down the street from the force of her punch. Nora took the chance to help a groggy Ren back up to his feet as Raiga halted his travel down the street. The former mercenary fell to a knee, clutching his chest as he seethed and growled, "Okay, no more playing around you-"

"MOVE!"

Nora and Ren saw a dark green blur pass by as Raiga grabbed his blade. He lashed out and landed the hilt of his sword against Kiba's face as the Inuzaka's fist planted itself in Raiga's cheek. The two were knocked back by their mutual attack before Kiba charged and started exchanging blows with the larger man.

"Nora, catch!"

The bubbly JNPR girl looked back and quickly caught the small hammer tossed to her. She looked up from her new makeshift weapon to see Tenten with a pained expression across her face. Nora gripped the hammer tightly before asking the brunette, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-I'll be fine." Tenten stood back up with some effort in her movement before she looked around at the chaos they were involved in. She looked to the partners for clarity, "What happened? I remember trying to stop Sasuke's brother from fighting anymore, and then I felt a bad shock and it went black. What's going on?"

"It's a long story." Ren lifted himself up and ignored his pain before narrowing his eyes, "But right now we just need to hold these people off. And I think what Kiba says works best-"

"Less talking!" Nora gripped her compact hammer and channeled electricity around her body, "MORE FIGHTING! HYAAAAAA!"

Ren followed his partner to rejoin the fight against the green-haired swordsman as Tenten looked over at the other fights. Blake and Yang were holding back their explosive enemy while Weiss and Pyrrha continued to gain an opening against Guren. Tenten took a sharp breath and started running, changing her Aura to her Steel and covering her body.

She held out her hands, creating several knives that she threw at the blue-haired assassin. Guren saw them coming and raised a wall of Crystal in defense. Weiss and Pyrrha looked back to see her as Tenten yelled, "Pyrrha, throw me!"

The redhead raised one hand and Tenten felt herself get lifted off her feet. Pyrrha used her Polarity on her Steel to sending her flying at the wall and break through the Crystal completely. Guren looked in surprise as she stood back up and deflected Tenten's knives. Weiss fired a barrage of icicles as Pyrrha charged in to face her in close-quarters.

"DAAAAA!"

An explosion came from the side and forced the girls away from Guren as the crystal-user caught her breath. Deidara came sliding to her side and helped his comrade to her feet, despite the reluctant look on her face from his assistance. He crossed his arms and sprinted forward as Blake and Yang came to join the trio in their fight. The blond bomber released a massive set of explosions at the Beacon students as Guren charged in to assist.

The Uchiha members jumped out of the smoke and attacked the stunned students. Deidara blew several of them off their feet while Guren ducked beneath their field of vision and swiped their legs out beneath them. They fell but quickly picked themselves up before engaging the two in another fight.

Deidara kept Pyrrha and Tenten at bay as he dodged a thrust from Weiss. The heiress quickly blocked another of his blasts with her Glyphs as he leaned back to avoid the katana and punch aimed for his head. Deidara used a handspring kick to force the two girls back and then launched himself up with his Explosion to get over them. He flew over them and turned with a spin kick to catch Blake's arm before she could attack him.

Yang took the opportunity to come charging in from his blind spot but stopped when she froze in place. She looked down to see Crystal all the way up to his ankles and halting her movement entirely as Deidara escaped her reach. The brawler was enraged by his escape and roared at the top of her lungs, the rain around her evaporating from the fire and heat wafting off her body. She pulled herself out of her confinement and looked back at the blue-haired woman that had caught her.

Yang yelled as she discharged her weapon to send herself flying at Guren. Guren lowered her stance and when Yang's fist came down on her she blocked it with both hands. And before she could fire a kinetic blast at the former assassin, Yang's gauntlet and fist were covered in a sleet of Crystal that snuffed out the blast. Yang's red eyes widened in shock before she felt a foot dig into her cheek and send her flying back into a streetlight.

Guren landed back on her feet but had to quickly dash away as Blake and Weiss both came across to strike her. The two girls' moved in tandem to strike at the older woman as Guren evaded their thrusts and slashes. Weiss' repeated barrage of attacks were defended against by a coat of Crystal Guren had covered her hands in to protect herself. She got in close and kicked the heiress off her feet before turning back and grabbing Blake's blade before it could come down at her neck.

She swung up into Blake's chin but the bow-wearing girl escaped using her Shadow to take the hit. Guren spun back up to her feet and threw a shard at Weiss' head as the heiress somersaulted out of its way. As Weiss landed back on her feet, she turned the revolver on her blade and chambered the rapier as the blade glowed yellow. She yelled and lunged for the blue-haired woman-

"RAH!"

Raiga ran in and blocked Weiss' blade before it could connect with Guren. Their was a massive discharge between his electricity and her pure energy that knocked them both away and gave Guren the oppurtunity to send a wave of projectiles at the stunned heiress.

"HYAAAAA!"

"HA!"

Yang and Blake destroyed each crystal before it even got close to their teammate. The girls stood tall as they heard a loud grunt and explosion as Deidara jumped back into view with a stumble. Raiga steadied his comrade before he could fall over and the Uchiha members took their stances against their opponents.

Pyrrha and Tenten came back to their friends' side as they heard a pair of loud screams and roars. The Beacon students looked up in shock as Kiba pounced over their heads and slammed his fists down on a manhole in front of him. The sewer plate flew up in the air and Ren was the next to run past them and kicked it up even higher. Finally there was one last flash of lightning and everyone looked up to see Nora raising her hammer up over the manhole and yell, "HIYA!"

With the power of her Semblance working in overdrive, she slammed the manhole down with her new hammer and watched the metallic cover fly like a missile down at her opponents.

Guren's eyes widened and she raised a wall of Crystal that shattered beneath the force of the giant projectile. Raiga stopped the manhole with a swing of his blades and struggled to stop it even with his own strength. Deidara came over and blast the manhole from the side, sending it flying into a building to their side hard enough to embed it into the concrete.

"Okay," Raiga caught his breath and looked back towards their opponents as the Beacon students gathered together. Their hair was matted by the rain and there were clear signs of their fatigue from this battle. But even as the Hunters-in-training caught their breath or steadied their trembling hands...they stood ready for the next round. Raiga's face twisted with frustration as his sword shook from his tight grip, "I'm losing my patience with these kids."

"I'll admit they definitely got into Beacon for a reason." Guren took a deep breath and looked around at the damage they had caused to the streets and buildings, "We should have considered inventing them to join our side."

"Whatever." They looked towards Deidara as he narrowed his eye in anger, "They're still getting in the way of us stopping Sasuke and getting to Itachi. No more fucking around. We don't need to fight them, we need to get past them."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking Bullet and Block. Get them out of the way and force them back while we head to Itachi."

Guren didn't expect him to make that call, "You want to retreat?"

"This wasn't supposed to be a fight anyway." Deidara said with no small amount of indignation as he crossed his arms in front of him and caused the Beacon students to raise their guard, "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Yep."

"LAUNCH!"

Guren raised her hand and a spire of crystal popped up under Deidara's feet. It launched him forward with immense speed towards the Beacon students as the blond spun and used his Explosion. His entire form was one massive fiery bullet that forced the students to block and avoid his path.

Raiga sheathed his swords and wrapped his arm around Guren's waist before sprinting down the path Deidara had made. They passed the stunned students and reached the street behind them before they could recover. Pyrrha and Blake were the first to notice and followed after them with swords at the ready.

Raiga dropped Guren and the blue-haired woman slammed her hands down into the accumulated rain water. She raised them back up and a massive wall of Crystal sprung up between them and the students.

The Beacon kids all started attacking the wall and try to bring it down but realized it was much thicker than the walls she had raised before. The Crystal stretched from the buildings on one side to another and completely blocked their chance to follow.

Blake hissed and jumped in the air, using her Shadows as stepping stones to reach the top of the massive makeshift barrier. When she reached the top of the Crystal wall, she ran over its length and reached the other end. She looked over the side to see a broken car door lying in the street beside a dry spot where a parked car had once been.

She couldn't even hear the car screech out over the sound of thunder and police sirens. No doubt coming their way after the skirmish in the middle of the street.

Ruby...get there soon.

Naruto...please hold on.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"I asked you what you were. Answer me."

Naruto writhed in pain and lifted himself up on his hands and knees, his eyes filling with tears from the pain, "I-I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm a f-fox Faunus. F-first-year-"

"Cut the crap!" Itachi yelled, "That thing you just were! Was that your Semblance?! Or something else?! Are there others?! Tell me!"

Naruto's arms shook as he pushed off the ground and fell back onto his knees and feet. The blond's head hung as he gasped for breath, the rain running down his chin. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he realized he wouldn't be able to answer while he was still reeling from shock.

Fine. If he had information and was somehow connected to what was happening inside the White Fang, they couldn't kill him just yet.

Itachi reached down and grabbed the blond by his collar, "You're coming with me." Naruto didn't make a move and Itachi forced him up to his feet, "Get up-"

"RAAAHHH!"

Naruto yelled as his hand came out from behind his back and he sliced up into Itachi's chin. The Uchiha's eyes widened before he knocked the hand and hidden knife away as Itachi's body glowed before fading away. That knife cut took out the last of his Aura. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder-

"RAH!"

Itachi's eyes shuddered as he looked down to see a second hidden knife in Naruto's right hand. The small blade of the knife pierced into Itachi's abdomen and without Aura there was no deterrent, blood dripping down the blade and coating the blond's hand. Itachi gasped before Naruto pulled it out and stabbed him in the same spot.

Again. And again. And again.

Itachi's yell overlapped Naruto's desperate cry as the blond Faunus stabbed the Uchiha. Itachi locked the arm stabbing into his abdomen and slammed a palm against Naruto's shoulder, hearing a satisfying pop as the arm went limp and released the knife. His hands blurred and he punched Naruto across the face, splitting his nose and sending the blond tumbling over into the ground.

Itachi stumbled and fell back, looking down at the wound and the blood gushing out from where the blade was still lodged in him. He took short, raspy breaths and looked over where Naruto was still lying on the ground, fading out of consciousness. Itachi gasped and groaned in pain as he forced himself up to his feet and steadily walked over to-

"NO!"

Two mangled hands wrapped around Itachi's chest as he was lifted off his feet and thrown back several yards. He tumbled and rolled over the ground, feeling his abdomen wound spike with pain as he covered it to stop anymore blood flow. He looked up and his eyes slowly widened...

He saw Sasuke standing between him and the Faunus, his younger brother panting with a pained look in his eyes. Itachi looked down and noticed his hands covered in burns and blood.

He quickly noticed another blond boy in armor and the girl with the red-tipped hair come in from the side and go to Naruto's aid. Jaune looked down at his friend and lifted up his head and shoulders, "Naruto! NARUTO!"

"C'mon!" Ruby's voice was panicked and about to crack as she shook her friend's shoulder in an attempt to get a response, "Say something! Please!"

Sasuke took a deep gulp and his shoulders were shaking as he tried to focus on Itachi. The younger Uchiha looked over his brother and noticed the Dust in his arm and the bloody wound in his lower chest. But the moment Sasuke took a step forward to help him, Itachi tensed up like he was expecting an attack.

Sasuke stopped and stood in shock as he looked around at what had happened. The broken buildings, burning piles of metal and wood. The furrows in the concrete that looked like a giant had dug through them. The state Naruto was in. And what had happened to his brother.

This...this was because of him.

"Itachi," Sasuke's voice reached his older brother as his expression shook, "I'm sorry. But I can't kill Naruto. And I can't hunt or kill anyone when I know they don't deserve to die." He shook his head, "The White Fang need to be stopped b-but not like this! Not at the cost of you or any of the others becoming something else! Becoming killing machines to the point you won't even be recognizable to who you were!"

Itachi's shoulders relaxed as the tension started to fade. Sasuke continued over the sound of thunder and rain, "I know I said I was prepared to fight any battle by your side, but I can't! But we don't have to keep fighting like this anymore! We don't have to keep moving, staying away from the populated areas, and burying our friends!" He yelled, "We can hunt and keep Grimm at bay! We can protect settlements from being overrun! Be policemen! Soldiers! Hunters! Anything! I-" He grit his teeth, "I just don't want to lose my brother again!"

Itachi could only stare in silence as he looked up at his brother. Sasuke caught his breath and stepped forward, "Just let me help with your wounds-"

Sasuke was blown back by a blast of fire hitting him square in the chest. Jaune and Ruby looked up and called out to their injured friend as Sasuke lifted himself up. He saw a car with a missing door come skidding a few feet away as Deidara and the others clamored out of the car and came to Itachi's aid, "Itachi! Shit, what happened?!"

Guren looked him over, "Did that Faunus do this to you?"

"Deidara," Itachi groaned as he sat up with some help from his comrades, "Cauterize the wound."

"You can't be-"

"Do it!" Deidara scowled before grabbing the small knife and ripping it out of Itachi's wound. He didn't even have time to yell before Deidara pressed his palm against the wound and released a small explosion as Itachi threw his head back, "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"NO!" Sasuke pushed off the ground and ran towards them to check on his brother. Guren saw him charging in and swung her hand out as crystal shards flung out at him. Ruby dashed in and spun _Crescent Rose_ around to deflect them all and protect Sasuke.

Raiga's grip tightened, "We have to go."

"He's right. We can't waste anymore time fighting." Guren agreed, "I'm sorry but we have to go."

Deidara lifted one of Itachi's arm and wrapped it around his shoulder as Guren did the same on his other side. They lifted the injured Uchiha and headed for the car, "C'mon. We'll get you fixed up."

"ITACHI!" They stopped and looked back after hearing Sasuke yell out for him. Itachi lifted his head and looked back at Sasuke's desperate, pleading look, "Please."

...

Itachi turned away and muttered to his comrades as they continued forward, "Let's go."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as he watched his brother get carried off. The others helped him into the car and got in before it started off down the street.

Ruby gripped her scythe and thought about chasing after them before she looked up at Sasuke. He looked so crushed. Sadder than she had even seen the usually cool and collected boy look before. She hesitated-

"GUYS! I-I THINK NARUTO STOPPED BREATHING!"

The two looked back in horror and ran back over to Naruto's side. They looked down at the bruised and beaten Faunus before Sasuke lowered his ear to his mouth. He was still breathing! But barely!

"Help me lift him up!" Sasuke put his arms under Naruto's legs and shoulders. His hands ached in pain as he attempted to lift him up. Jaune and Ruby helped steady him before Sasuke looked around the streets. He looked back at Ruby and copied her Semblance, "Hold on, Naruto! Just hold on!"

Sasuke dashed down the street in a burst of speed as purple petals fluttered behind him. The two young leaders watched them leave before Jaune spoke, "He's...he's gonna be okay, right?"

"I..." Ruby's eyes trembled, "I don't know."

He gulped and looked back over the area Naruto had been fighting in while they were held captive. There was so much destruction...and fire...and blood.

What happened to him?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Jaune and Ruby sat together in the waiting area of the hospital floor as the sounds of doctors, nurses, and other patients walking around the halls filled the silence they fell into. Drops of rain continued to slide off their faces and onto the ground as they waited for any news about their friend.

Jaune fidgeted in his seat, looking back and forth across the hall. He looked at the girl next to him to see Ruby's shoulders hunched over and her fists gripping into her stockings and knees.

She looked so much smaller without her hood on.

Jaune wanted to pat her shoulder and tell her it was going to be okay...but he really didn't know if that was true right now.

He still had a hard time believing that what happened was real. That Naruto was a Faunus, and he used to be part of the White Fang. Did that mean he hated humans? Did he hate them?

And Sasuke was supposed to kill him. He - he just couldn't believe that the two people he thought of as closest friends were supposed to kill each other.

And those other Uchiha guys? The ones that weren't actually Sasuke's family - where did they go? Were they coming back? And Sasuke's brother? Was he going to make it? Would they see him again?

He...he was really scared.

"Ruby!"

They looked up to see Yang and the others arrive off the elevator. There were some shushes from other nurses but they were ignored in place of Yang embracing her younger sister so tightly that she might have broken her if she squeezed any tighter. But instead of the usual protest Ruby gave when she was caught in one of Yang's hugs, the shorter girl just hugged her sister back and relished the fact she was okay.

Jaune was nearly knocked off his feet as well when Pyrrha ran in and hugged him. He didn't get a chance to return it as Nora hugged him as well and Ren looked relieved to see he was okay. Jaune returned the embrace, "I'm so glad you guys are okay." They separated, "What took you so long?"

"It was the police." Pyrrha said, "They had questions for us about who we were fighting and what happened."

"Those crazy bastards got by us and escaped while we got held back for questioning!" Kiba growled, "It's bullshit!"

Yang finally pulled back from Ruby and looked her over, "What happened? Did you make it in time? Did those guys-"

Ruby squeezed her sister's hand, "Those guys came over in a car and picked up Sasuke's brother. H-he was bleeding really badly. We were gonna try chasing after him but Naruto..." She looked back at Jaune and the two shared a conflicted look, "We had to make sure he was okay first."

Yang comforted her little sister as Blake nodded, "That was the right thing to do, Ruby."

"What," Tenten stepped forward, looking a little pale but steeling herself to ask her young friend, "What about Sasuke?"

"He carried Naruto here." Jaune told them, "His hands were still really bad but he picked Naruto up and copied Ruby's Semblance before running here."

Kiba looked around, "Well where is he?"

"A few doctors saw how bad his hands were and took him down some floors for surgery." Some of the others grimaced at the thought that his hands were so bad he needed medical attention.

...

"So..." Ren was the one who spoke up and asked the question they were all dreading to ask, "What about Naruto?"

Jaune and Ruby remained silent. Their eyes lowered and they failed to even look up at their partners and family. Jaune opened his mouth but they were interrupted as the doors opened and a young nurse walked out in a scrub. She looked around before noticing the small gathering of people, "Are all of you with Naruto Uzumaki?" There was a round of nods, "Are any of you related to him?"

"N-no." Tenten shook her head, "B-but he has a dad who lives in Mistral."

"Can you give me any of his contact information?"

"Hey," Kiba stepped past the others to face the nurse, "What's happening?"

"I'm sorry sir but we need to inform his family and loved ones-"

"He's my damn partner!" Kiba said loudly, "We're his team and friends. And we're here now so tell us what's wrong."

The nurse seemed unruffled by Kiba's increase in volume, probably accustomed to loud outbursts and demands from other families and people demanding updates. But she looked around at the worry and concern on the students' faces and seemed to relent, "Your friend...he's in critical condition."

Tenten covered her mouth and Nora hid in Ren's shirt while he comforted her. Yang was perplexed by her phrasing, "W-what does that mean? What happened?"

"I'm not sure what happened. No one has told me how this boy received such grievous injuries or why there was a cut in his stomach filled with ice." She turned to face them, "Right now the doctor is trying to remove the pieces of ice from his organs without tearing the flesh. He already has a lot of internal bleeding and they need to close it before it gets any worse."

"Well that's easy!" Kiba said, "Naruto can heal-"

"We know." She interrupted, "These two already informed us of your friend's ability. And that was part of the problem of why they need to focus right now."

"W-what do you mean?" Ruby looked horrified by what she was saying.

"Apparently his body was trying to heal his wounds even with the obstructions blocking them. And I'm not sure if he kept moving or fighting while he was injured, but it exasperated his wounds. There's scarring along his stomach lining and blood pooling under the skin."

"So-"

"So..." The nurse was silent as she looked between the students before speaking with a tone of comfort, "So just pray for your friend. And hope for the best." The students looked at her in shock before she turned to Kiba, "I need to contact his family...please."

Kiba's looked at her in silence and solemn sadness as he followed her to the desk. Pyrrha hugged Tenten closely as the girl started to sob for the state of her teammate. Blake lowered her head as Yang hugged Ruby even tighter. The red-clad girl hid in her sister's chest before opening her eyes.

"W-where's," She wiped her eyes, "Where's Weiss?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Weiss opened the door the front desk had point her to. When she looked inside, she saw the dark-haired Uchiha sitting on the edge of the bed. He just stared ahead to the other side of the room while his hands rested on his knees, bandaged halfway up the forearm with splotches of blood near the fingertips.

As she walked in, she got his attention as he looked up at her. He didn't say anything as he looked back down while she stepped closer to the bed. She crossed her arms and settled back on her feet as she coughed and pointed out, "The desk said that you'll be going into surgery soon."

He didn't respond.

She scowled, "What about your hands? Are you feeling any better?"

Still no response. Don't know why she even bothered asking, she could still see the blood staining his bandages.

She closed her eyes and decided to do away with the soft approach. They were too far past that to even try, "I had heard rumors being passed around the company when I was still in Atlas. About a group of people that were apparently secretly opposing sects of White Fang members before they attacked our shipments and stations." She noticed Sasuke look away from the wall to see her in the corner of his eye, "I thought that if I ever met them, I would like to thank them for their noble work. But I suppose after tonight...I might have to reconsider that idea."

"There's nothing noble about what they did." Sasuke finally spoke, his voice low and raspy after everything that had happened today. She had hoped he had taken the painkillers the staff gave him while they prepped for the operation, "We tried to rationalize it with a cause but there were a bunch of different reasons we decided to fight. Because we thought it would be fun. Because we wanted to make other people hurt for once. And I guess...because some of us just wanted to fight."

She could understand that. As nice as it would have been to have a group of noble knights take up the cause to fight a terrible evil and protect the innocent, it just sounded too storybook and romantic. Nothing was that bright and hopeful.

The Uchiha legacy had never been one filled with glitter or gold, but knowing it was now recruiting people like that and resorting to such measures as kidnapping all of them to get their target...how the mighty had fallen.

Weiss' eyes narrowed before looking back up at the boy, "Was it all true? Everything they said? Is Naruto-"

"Weiss..." Sasuke stopped her, "Do you really need me to answer that?"

The ivory-haired girl scowled and fumed at his behavior, "What is wrong with you?! I know this was terrible but you could at least bother to look at me!"

"'Terrible'?" Sasuke repeated in a sharp and harsh tone, "This was so much worse than terrible. This...this spiraled out of control." He covered his eyes and grit his teeth, "I thought I could handle this. I thought I would be able to convince Itachi that I was right. And now..." His hands gripped his hair and trembled from the pain, "Naruto was nearly killed. Itachi's gone. And all of you were..."

"Sasuke-"

"This is my fault. This is all my fault." Sasuke muttered, "I never should have tried to be something I'm not. Being a Huntsman..."

"Stop!" Weiss yelled with furrowed eyes as she refused to hear him degrade himself like that, "There was nothing you could have done! This wasn't your fault! It was-"

She stopped herself before she finished that sentence. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth at the realization of whose name she was about to finish with. But even though it was horrible...and even though he was just upstairs in such serious condition...

This was his fault...wasn't it?

"Weiss..." She looked back up at Sasuke as he sat back on the bed and rested his bloody hands at his side. He rested his head and turned away from her, "Please just leave."

She wanted to scream. Rage filled her thoughts and her hands started to shake from how tightly she was gripping her fists. She stared at him in shock that he could say something like that to her after everything they had gone through...the fights and moments of conversation. She had been more open with him than even her own team. And now...

Weiss shook with anger...before she huffed and stomped out of the room. She prepared to slam the door behind her before controlling herself and quietly closing it. Once that was done, the heiress stood in the nearly empty hallway just staring at the floor.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and reached back to pull something out of her pocket. She looked down and glared...

The picture of Naruto that revealed that he was a member of the White Fang. She picked it up during all the commotion in the abandoned building, the sides damp from how long she stood in the rain.

Depending on what she did with this picture...there were a lot of outcomes playing out in front of her.

The heiress sighed, pocketing the picture before stepping down the hall and sitting down in a seat.

She felt her eyes start to strain. Something between fighting off fatigue and the building urge to let her eyes water.

Who could she trust anymore? Who was on her side and who wasn't? But most importantly...

Who might they already trust...that certainly didn't deserve it?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Okay well, that was the actual fight and meat from the Family Matters arc. The next chapters will be the fallout. And then...**_

_**We're almost at a benchmark. Took forever but we're almost done.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed this tale of pain, desperation, betrayal, struggle, and reveals...**_

_**Yep, really hope you liked it.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	39. Hors de Combat

Hunting or Bust

Dust 34: Hors de Combat

I really want to try finishing by Oct. 22.

So expect a lot of updates.

In other news, Cinder and the Cuntly Crew finally make an appearance in Chibi. And she's just as evil as Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Or Drakken. Or Dr. Evil!

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Tenten, you okay?"

The bun-haired girl looked up from the flowers and saw the others spare her a look while confined in the elevator. She tried hard but gave a weak smile, "I'm fine."

"Really?" Yang asked with clear disbelief, "Because you've been looking really pale since we walked into the hospital."

"Is that weird?" Tenten defended, "Do you guys know the kind of weird stuff they do at hospitals? All the blood and guts and bodies and slime and organs being removed so they can be replaced by versions that actually work-"

"URGH!" Jaune heaved and covered his mouth as something came up his throat. All his friends looked at him in horror and compressed themselves into the walls as much as possible. Jaune took a deep breath and spoke in a weak tone, "Please don't talk about that stuff. I'm queasy enough just thinking about it."

"Jaune," Kiba said with narrowed eyes, "If you barf on us while we're in this tiny space, we'll kill you."

"And if you get any on my hair while we're in this tiny space, I'll kill you again." Yang added for good measure and lovingly run a hand through her luscious locks.

"G-got it." Jaune reassured while Pyrrha rubbed his back to help calm him down.

The elevator came to a slow stop and the doors opened with a ping. Ruby was at the front of their group as she took a shaky breath and exhaled. She nodded, "Okay, here we go."

Today was the first day they were coming to visit Naruto in the hospital. They had tried to do it before but he was still under check to make sure his injuries didn't reopen or get any worse.

It had been three days since those Uchiha people had kidnapped them to catch Naruto and get Sasuke to come back with them. And since then things have been very hectic for the rest of them. Students were passing around rumors about what had happened and asking them directly if they really were captured by a group of vigilantes. The teachers and police constantly had more questions for them.

When she and Yang had called their dad to tell him what happened, he took the first Bullhead over and met them in the city. It took the rest of the day plus a call from the faculty to convince him they were safe to stay at Beacon. And even then they still had to text and let him know they were fine after class. It was exhausting trying to make him see that everything was fine now.

Of course not everything was fine. JNPR still looked shaken by what had happened, Nora miffed that she wasn't able to defeat a single one of those guys that kidnapped them while Jaune took his sword out everyday to keep practicing. And Pyrrha was training harder after fighting those people and only just matching them in battle.

Her team was also trying to get settled back into the normal routine after such a terrifying experience. She had a hard time falling asleep recently and more than once had to share a bed with Yang to calm down. She'd also never say it but she noticed her older sister hold her very closely while they fell asleep, no doubt also having a hard time relaxing before bed. Blake had barely read anything over the last few days, just opening a book and staring at it blankly. And Weiss...

Well her partner had barely even seem to acknowledge what happened.

But the biggest difference had to be in Team NKTS. And that was in no small part due to half of their team being hospitalized for their injuries. Kiba and Tenten had to walk into their room and realize that it was so much emptier without their partners there. They seemed so upset and downtrodden, worrying about the state of their friends' wellbeing while they were at school. Apparently they had gone to visit Sasuke several times but he was wasn't his normal self.

Plus there was still the elephant in the room no one had brought up since that night. About Naruto and Sasuke...and what they did before they met each other.

Ruby had to think that played a part in the reason Weiss didn't come with them to visit. And not just because they were taking a period off and she didn't want to ruin her perfect record.

Although she really, really wished it was just for that reason.

"This should probably go without saying," Blake spoke aloud as they walked down the hall, "But he's still recovering. So there's a chance he won't even be awake when we get there."

"Well that's boring." Nora bemoaned before popping back up, the petals flying off the flowers she was carrying, "Oh, what if we just poke him a little and whisper 'wake-y, wake-y'? Do you think he'll wake up then?"

"Nora!"

"Kidding." The short girl defended with a laugh before sighing, "Ugh, tough crowd."

"Just know that he'll probably still be in bed." Blake said again, her eyes looking worried as they came up to their destination, "So be prepared for whatever you might see."

She was warning them. They were about to see one of their closest friends in a vulnerable state few of them had probably ever seen someone in before.

They came up to the door and stopped. Ruby stared at the spotless door, feeling like she was suffocating from how sterile the environment was and how her stomach was filled with butterflies. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and looked back to see Yang. She squeezed her shoulder as a show of support before Ruby took a deep breath and opened it.

The nine of them walked into the hospital room, carrying their presents for their healing friend in hopes of a speedy recovery. But they quickly noticed Naruto wasn't anywhere to be seen.

There were two other doors along the walls of the room, with an empty bed and ruffled sheets.

They looked around some more as if they expected him to be hiding along the walls but found nothing, "Where'd he-"

"Oh no." Tenten's voice was soft and shaky as her shoulders trembled, "Not again."

"Ugggghhhhhhhhh!"

Their attention turned to one of the doors and the flush of a toilet. The door opened and Naruto walked out, dressed in a hospital gown with one arm in a sling and the other pulling an IV stand along. His steps were a little slower and more careful, with a bandage over his nose. He grumbled while walking out with a frown, "God, now that was a trial." He looked up and when he saw his friends a smile brightened his face, the ears on his head perking up, "Hey guys!"

"N-Naruto?"

"Yep."

"Were you in the bathroom?"

"Yep."

"And you're...awake?"

"Uh-huh." He looked around at their expressions of surprise. He titled his head, "What?"

Tenten stepped forward and slapped his good arm several times in retaliation. When she was done she stomped her foot and scowled at the Faunus, "You jerk! We were worried!" She took a moment to catch her breath and looked up to notice Naruto surprise at her outburst before she immediately looked him over, "Are you okay? I didn't make it any worse, did I?"

"Don't think so." Naruto chuckled and showed them the needle on his arm, "Don't know what's in this thing but it's definitely doing its job."

The others shared looks of surprise at the blond's energetic attitude considering where he was and how he got there. Yang scratched her cheek, "Geez, you are way more chipper than expected of a guy in a half-naked gown."

"It's surprisingly airy."

"Umm," Ruby looked uncomfortable before she pointed at his face, "What about your nose?"

He reached up and pulled most of the bandage off, revealing a small scab where the wound was healing over the bridge, "Almost all healed."

Pyrrha asked, "What about your broken arm?"

"Not broken. Dislocated." He wiggled his fingers and waved his hand to show he still had mobility in the sling, "I just have to let it rest a few days and it'll be totally fine."

"So then all that's left is-"

"The stomach wound." Naruto finished, "Yeah, that one was a doozy. My Aura is prioritizing fixing that and the other organs that got messed up. That's why the rest of it is healing so much slower." He gave a big grin and flexed his arm, "But doctor still says I'm healing like crazy. A little longer with some physical therapy and I'll be back to school for the final week."

"WOO!" Nora exclaimed and wiped her forehead with a laugh, "You have no idea how worried we were that you'd be in bed and we'd have to look at you like you're all rotting out and fading away-"

"Nora!"

The exuberant girl flinched and lowered her shoulders after being called out by Ren, Kiba, and Pyrrha. She gave a half-hearted chuckle, "I was just joking...mostly."

"Okay so it turns out you can't have anything too sugary while your stomach is healing." Minato walked into the door frame with drink cans, "So I got you some Udder Satisfaction and - oh."

"Hi, Mr. Naruto's Dad." Ruby greeted him with a nervous shake in her voice, "We just - ehehe - came to say hello."

"Oh, that's nice." Minato looked at how crowded the room was now that it was filled with the worried students. He smiled, "Well I'm grateful you all came to visit...but I really don't think there's enough room for you all at once. Maybe we should figure that out first?"

When they attempted to move and realized they were barely able to without knocking into one another, "Y-yeah, that's a good idea."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Well I gotta be honest, I'm glad to see you moving around." Kiba said as he laid back in a chair and raised his legs up to lounge on the bed. He looked up at the TV to see some daytime shows playing in the background before he smirked, "Way better to come here and see you walking around with that obnoxious, annoying smile than have to stare down at you while you sleep."

"Love to you too, partner." Naruto quipped as he and Kiba shared a quick laugh. He knew Kiba was just joking, happy to get their back-and-forth after all this time. Naruto had to admit that it was good to poke fun and sling shit at each other again.

"Naruto, tell me the truth." Tenten said from her seat on the other side of the bed, "Are you really okay?" Her attention deviated to the arm in the sling and his stomach where she was sure it was wrapped in bandages. Her voice was filled with concern for his safety, "You're not in pain, right? Not just trying to put on a tough act? You are getting better, right?"

"I am. Really Tenten, I'm getting better." Naruto reassured her before resting a hand over his stomach, "This will take a little longer, and I can't eat any solids while it does, but besides that I'm gonna be fine."

Tenten was apprehensive, "Really?"

"Really."

"You better be." Kiba grumbled before quirking an eyebrow, "When did you wake up anyway?"

"Yesterday." He leaned back in his bed and scratched his furry ears for relief, "I woke up to see my dad by my bed and the doctors and nurses explained what happened to me." Naruto's face twisted with a grimace, "First thing I wanted to do when they were done was go to the bathroom. They said I could just go in the pan but pissing and shitting in a bucket wasn't too appealing."

Naruto felt something squeeze his hand and looked down to see Tenten had reached over to grab his hand. Her fingers squeezed into his palm and he felt a subtle tremble in his grip. Tenten's eyes refused to look up from the ruffled sheets as her voice came out quietly, "When Sasuke's brother broke into our room, even though we were wary, we didn't attack him immediately because he was Sasuke's family. But when he started talking about taking Sasuke, we decided to fight him. I threw some knives but he just knocked them aside. Kiba went in and got his attention while I covered my arms in Steel and ran at him. I thought I could knock him back but...the next thing I knew I felt a thousand needles run up by arms and over my whole body. Kiba told me that lightning shot out of his hand and took me down but...I passed out because of it."

The trembling in her hand became more severe as her voice started to crack, "I was unconscious the whole time you guys were going through that. It's because I couldn't do any more that we couldn't stop him. And that you're..." Her eyes started to water and a tear spilled out the side, "I'm sorry."

She felt his hand gently tighten and squeeze back. She blinked, sniffling and feeling the last drops of tears in her eyes spill down her cheeks. She saw Naruto giving her a warm, forgiving smile while holding her hand and not saying a word. It worked to not only stop her fears, but to assure her that he was still alive. Tenten took a deep breath, wiping her eyes with her sleeve before giving him a weak smile in return.

He gave a heavy sigh as their hands separated and looked between them, "So I'm basically confined to this room until I get out so...have you guys seen Sasuke yet?"

And just like that the atmosphere dropped like a concrete block.

Tenten's eyes shifted and Kiba leaned his head back, sighing heavily and covering his eyes, "Our other problem child." His hand slowly slipped down his face before he shook his head, "Sasuke...has barely said anything at all. To us or even his doctors."

"He's...when we went to visit him he was resting in bed or he left his room completely. The doctors and nurses were worried that he might have run away but he came back. We ask him where he went but...he hasn't said anything." Tenten sat up in her chair as her hands overlapped in her lap, "We're lucky enough to get him to eat when we visit. He looks...so sad and lonely."

"His hands aren't doing so well either." Kiba pointed out as Naruto's attention turned to him, "He unleashed an explosion between his hands to break out of this lock those bastards had him in. He basically blew himself up to get us out. The doctors say his Aura protected him from things getting any worse but there was still debris and burns and shit over his hands. He won't be able to use them properly for awhile, and even then they'll be covered in scars from now on." Naruto's face didn't change at all while Kiba told him this, causing the tattooed boy to suspect that Naruto had already heard something similar. He scratched his head and sighed again, "We don't know yet if it'll affect his fighting but he's strong. He'll power through."

"I've never seen him look so empty and lifeless." Tenten muttered, "I mean he's been worried and concerned before but...he's just sad. Depressed."

And they all knew it wasn't just because of his hands.

"When I first met Sasuke, he was really personal and basically said nothing when we started working together." Naruto said while his teammates looked at him, "He barely ever talked to me and just stayed quiet while we worked. It took some time before I finally got him to talk with me. I showed him some movies and how to play video games and he started considering me a friend, but even then he still kept quiet."

"So..." Kiba shrugged, "What changed?"

"I don't know." Naruto looked between them with uncertainty, "We finished a job and I came back to our hideout first. Sasuke came back later and he just - he had this big smile and greeted me like he was actually happy. I was seriously freaked out and asked him what was wrong but he just ignored it like it was nothing." His eyes shifted over to the window for a moment before looking down, "I think he was just trying to cope with leaving his brother. Just...trying to fit in."

Kiba and Tenten looked between each other as their expressions changed. Kiba into one of empathy and Tenten's one of unease.

The bun-haired girl was the first to speak again as she patted her lap and got up out of her chair. She smiled down at her friend, "Well, we brought some get well presents." Naruto perked up and she walked around the bed, "So you better have an extra speedy recovery, got it?"

"Already on the case." The whiskered Faunus responded with a grin and flick of his ears.

Tenten started searching through the bag they brought. Kiba looked back at his partner and admitted, "Somehow, school is even more boring when you aren't there to make fun of."

"I know what you mean. I feel like I could already start running if the prize at the end was taunting you." Naruto jabbed back and the two partners shared a hearty laugh. It stopped when Naruto gave a ragged cough and grabbed his stomach in pain. Kiba and Tenten looked at him in shock and stood up as he let out a stifled moan.

"I-I'm fine. I guess I should be careful not to see anything too funny while I heal." He coughed roughly, getting the sharp pain to stop before noticing the looks on his friends' faces. The smile didn't falter as he looked up at Kiba, "I-I gotta be honest, I'm surprised you're not laughing." Kiba looked at him strangely, "Remember? After our fight with Wilsk? You said when it was my time to be sluggish and in bed with bandages, you were gonna laugh, right?"

...

"You...you think this is a joke?"

Naruto blinked in confusion as Kiba's head lowered, "Do you really think I can laugh right now? You nearly died. Sasuke nearly lost his hands. We all..." The tattooed boy's shoulders shook as his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. His eyes disappeared under his brown hair as his sharp teeth started grating together, "How am I supposed to laugh at this shit? When you two were hiding something like this? When we had to find out by getting gagged and looking at a picture of you covered in blood? How the hell-"

He went silent when Tenten's hand grabbed his shoulder. She gave it a small squeeze and came up to his side, whispering something Naruto was only barely able to pick up, "Not now."

...

The tension in Kiba's shoulders faded and he let out a long sigh before scratching his head, "You know what, I think I'll hold back the laughter until you stub your toe real bad or something. Okay?"

Naruto looked perplexed by his changed in attitude and saw Tenten's expression turn into a warm smile hiding something behind it. He nodded, "Y-yeah, okay."

"Well we thought you'd be bored sitting around by yourself, so we brought some stuff for you." Tenten rummaged in the bag before pulling out-

"My book!" Tenten held out the book Blake had loaned him that he was nearly finished with. Naruto eagerly snatched it up and opened it to the last page he had bookmarked near the end, "I've been dying to finish this thing! Thanks guys!"

"We thought you'd appreciate that." Tenten giggled.

Kiba reached in next and pulled out a stack of comics, "Here's a bunch of new issues I picked up." He handed them over and muttered, "Focus on getting better and coming back to school, got it?"

They wanted to say something. He knew that right away. But they wanted to encourage him and make sure he healed first.

He held their gifts closely and nodded, "Got it."

"And no worries, we're making sure to get all the homework and assignments you'll miss while you're gone."

"O-oh...no chance-"

"We're not doing them for you."

"Yeah, figured."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Yang, pick a channel and stick with it."

"Blake~." Yang groaned and looked back at her annoyed partner, "Naruto said I could surf if I wanted~. Plus we don't have a TV back in our room! I've missed the novelty of flipping through channels and finding nothing good to watch!"

The bow-wearing girl stepped over and snatched the remote from her hands. Despite Yang's initial reluctance, the blonde didn't seem to try all that hard to get the remote back from Blake. Her amber eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms, "Do you really think you should be acting like this at a hospital?" Yang hung over her chair and let out a dying moan before the black-clad girl turned to the bed, "Do you want to say anything about this?"

The whiskered blond could barely hide the snicker and smile growing on his face. Despite the unamused scowl/pout forming on Blake's face he just shrugged, "Don't mind me."

Well at least he was getting some entertainment out of this, despite at the cost of her sanity.

"Glad to see you were already up and moving." Yang focused back in Naruto as she got comfy in her chair, "I was worried we'd have to get you some warm whole milk and a video game to play."

"What?"

"Home remedy. You wouldn't understand."

"Okay, not gonna bother trying to understand that. But if there is one thing you wanna explain..." Naruto looked to the other side of the bed, "What's wrong with her?"

"H-huh?" The girl in question looked up from the bouquet of roses they had brought to brighten up the room and noticed all eyes on her. Ruby quickly went skittish and shuffled in her seat and looked around, "No, I'm fine! Totally fine! I'm just - um," She quickly jumped up and went for the roses, "Organizing the flowers so they look pretty! Uh - yep, this one's petals are bigger! That one goes in the back!"

Naruto turned back to the older girls, "Okay seriously, what's with her?"

"Hey!"

"She lost her hood." Yang quickly revealed as Ruby groaned, "Those guys took it when they caught her and she hasn't been able to find it. So she's been really depressed."

That explained why she was the only one wearing her school uniform while the others wore their regular clothes.

"She's lost almost all of her energy." Blake added as Ruby fell into her seat with head hung low, "That hood was really important to her. Without it-"

"I'm fine." Ruby interjected, although none of them believed her, "It sucks that I lost my hood but that doesn't matter. It's more important that we're all safe. That Naruto's healing and we...we can get back to normal." Ruby's voice got softer as she finished, her gaze falling to her lap as she sighed, "That's all that matters."

"I'm sorry Ruby." Yang moved around the bed and sat by her sister's side. She wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's shoulder and pulled her closer as Ruby rested her head on her arm. Yang hugged her tighter, "I know how much you miss it. But you're a hero." She smiled and motioned to Naruto, "It's thanks to you that Naruto got here in time."

"She's right." Naruto nodded, "I owe you Ruby. Thanks for saving me."

A brighter, more honest smile came up on Ruby's face at his gratitude as Yang chuckled and gave her a noogie. Naruto remembered before smiling, "Hey Ruby, can you get something from my pack? It's in the closet."

Blake stepped up, "I'll get it-"

"No, Ruby has to get it. It's right over there."

Ruby stood up and went over to open the door. She spotted the pack he always wore like a belt and picked it up. She noticed how much heavier it was then she expected and held it up for him to see. He nodded and offered it up for her to see. Ruby pulled the zipper open, noting the resistance before she forced it open. When she looked in-

"AHH!" She screamed with glee as she pulled the long red cloth out for them all to see. She dropped the pack and spun on her feet with joy, "MY HOOD! MY HOOD! YOU FOUND MY HOOD!"

"Ruby, this is still a hospital." Blake tried to say sternly despite the smile growing on her face.

Yang looked at Naruto, "You found it?"

"She looks better wearing a hood than in her uniform." Naruto laughed, "It's not close to saving my life, but I'll say this is the first payback."

"Thank you!" Ruby dashed in and knocked Yang over as she nearly tackled Naruto in his bed to hug him, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Everything I said about not worrying about my hood was a lie! A dirty lie! But it's all better now! Thank you!"

Naruto choked through her hug, "You're welcome."

"Awwwww~, that's so cute~." Yang quickly took a picture as Blake just giggled at Naruto's struggling expression.

Naruto tapped Ruby's back, "O-okay Ruby, that's enough. You're giving Yang too much material to control us."

...

"Ruby?"

Despite the tapping on her back, Ruby did not disengage from their hug. After a moment they noticed a slight tremble in her shoulders, and Naruto could feel a slight wetness in his hospital gown. He heard a soft sniffle by his ear and quickly realized that she wasn't just happy to have her hood back.

What did she see? What must it have been like for her to see him like that? Bloody and broken and barely holding onto life.

Naruto arm came around her, stopping the shaking completely as he whispered, "I'm okay."

Ruby stayed attached, not so subtly wiping her eyes and nose into the gown by her face before she pulled back. Her eyes were slightly irritated and red but the happy smile had returned to her face. She quickly attached her hood into place and stood up proudly, "Tada! Huh?! Huh?!" She showed it off like a model and looked between her friends, "What do you think? I look good, right?"

"You look exactly the same." Blake monotoned.

"Looking good!" Naruto cheered.

"That's our leader!" Yang whistled.

"Aw shucks, you're too kind!" Ruby was overjoyed to have her favorite article of clothing returned to her and danced around in joy. She came to a sudden stop facing Naruto as her silver eyes drifted upwards. She stared at the top of his head and smiled, "Your ears are really cute."

"What?!" Naruto's face went red as he used his good arm to cover his ears on instinct. The girls looked at him after his knee-jerk reaction as he calmed down with a hue on his cheeks, "D-don't say stupid things like that."

"Like what?" Ruby asked, "Your ears are cute. Right?"

"Ruby." Blake got her attention while Naruto seemed to become a blubbering mess, "I think he's embarrassed because you're calling attention and talking about his appearance, even if it is a compliment." Ruby tilted her head, "Okay, it's like me saying you're such a good fighter and you look cute while you do it."

"C-cute?!" Blushing and started covering herself, "I-I'm not-"

"My ears are just-"

"I-I still have some chub in my cheeks-"

"They barely do anything-"

"I mean I do workout a lot-"

"I-I trim them sometimes-"

"B-but shut your dumb face-"

"It's stupid-"

"Stop!" Yang clapped and forced them into silence as she massaged her temples, "Ugh, I had insecurity in stereo."

Blake crossed her arms with a small smile on her face, "Definitely not what you expect when you come and visit someone in the hospital."

They laughed at Blake's surprisingly funny observation. Naruto controlled himself, not wanting a repeat of what happened earlier as he looked around. The joy in his smile hollowed out before speaking, "Well...I guess she won't be coming over anytime soon, huh?"

Blake and Yang just shared a look as Ruby went silent. The young leader immediately tried to remedy the situation and shook her head furiously, "N-not it's not that! I-it's just she's been," Ruby motioned with her hands, "Things have been really hard after," She struggled to figure out what to say, "She's been thinking-"

"Ruby." Naruto stopped the hooded girl's attempts to protect his feelings. He shook his head, "Weiss isn't here. And I really don't think she should be."

Ruby's head lowered as Yang stood up, "She's been acting weird. She's short with people. She hasn't been paying attention." Yang shrugged, "Still acts like Weiss but she's definitely tiptoeing around something."

"Should be pretty obvious what that is." Blake bluntly stated, despite the empathy in her voice for him.

"She hasn't talked about it once." Ruby looked up at him, "She's been completely silent anytime we bring up seeing you or Sasuke. Anytime someone asks us what happened, she just walks away." She looked down sadly, "I'm worried..."

Of course Ruby was worried. She was her partner. It was her job to worry. Weiss was kidnapped in a plot involving both the Uchiha and the White Fang. And much more personally, Sasuke and Naruto. To find out Naruto wasn't just a part of a group that had openly declared their hatred for the Schnee family...but Sasuke was supposed to kill him...

"You don't hate her, right?" Yang spoke up and looked at Naruto with a mix of seriousness and worry, "Tell me you never wanted to hurt her."

"Yang!"

"I know." Yang quickly cut off her partner and her sister before either of them could stop her. Yang's face twisted and she shook her head, "I feel like shit for even having to ask that, because dispute all the crap and confusion I know you're cool and that you're a good guy. And I know you care about all of us." Her eyes narrowed, unwittingly turning red as her voice took an edge, "But Weiss is a part of my team...and I won't risk any harm coming to her because I didn't ask. So even if you're my friend Naruto, I have to ask you that."

Blake and Ruby looked surprised by the boxer's statement, and her conviction to question a friend she trusted and liked in order to assure her teammate's safety. Blake wanted to say something before Naruto spoke, "I heard about the problems and horrible relationship between the Schnee and the Faunus...but I never experienced that." Naruto's eyes lowered, "And I know that those were the choices of powerful people in charge...not Weiss." He looked directly into Yang's eyes and shook his head, "Whatever the White Fang think of her...that's not me. My first impression of Weiss was the mean girl that scared Ruby senseless and nothing more."

...

Yang's posture relaxed and her eyes turned back into their soft lilac as she fell into her chair. She looked down in shame before muttering, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Naruto tried to cheer her up by chuckling with a smile, despite how much of a struggle it was to pull one over his face.

"No it's not." She shook her head, "If we didn't get caught and just helped you guys then maybe none of this would have happened." The buxom girl started shaking with anger and slammed her boot in the ground, "Stupid prick! I pay him to store Bumblebee and he sells me out to those assholes with for a few Lien?! Glad I wrecked that shitty garage and took my bike!" Yang started seething, "If I didn't bring you guys to see my stupid bike-"

"Yang," Blake gently squeezed her shoulder and her partner's furious shaking came to a halt. The black-clad girl kept her hold, "Don't. It wasn't just you. So don't think like that. We're okay."

Yang felt her other hand get taken as Ruby squeezed it, "We're okay."

Yang squeezed her hand back and rested her other over Blake's, thanking her for the support.

Ruby tried to widen the smile on her face as she turned and reached her other hand out as well. Naruto looked down to see her holding his hand, squeezing it firmly and without a tremble.

Somehow despite all of this, she wanted to stay strong. Maybe it was for real. Maybe it was just an act. This kind of shit was just too scary not to be affecting you in some way. But she wanted to be a pillar for her team to lean upon...

And she had to be this strong because of him...

He squeezed back tightly...

"We're okay."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Uoff - ahhhhhhh~." Nora laid across the width of the bed with her arms and legs hanging off the side. She gave a content moan and yawn at the sensation of the hospital bed before she smacked her lips, "Y'know, for a hospital bed you think it'd be way more comfortable. But - hwahhhhh - I've slept on rocks squishier than this thing."

"Thanks Nora." Naruto deadpanned as he rested his feet on her back after she claimed the end of his bed for herself, "Just what I need to hear while recovering."

"I'm sure she's just exaggerating." Pyrrha said softly while slapping Nora's foot and earning a little moan from the ginger girl. She gave a bright smile, "I'm sure she's just trying to lighten the mood. After all, laughter is the best medicine, right?"

"I can't laugh too hard or my wound starts acting up."

"O-oh." Naruto had never seen Pyrrha deflate so quickly into herself, "My mistake."

"I'm just kidding, Pyrrha."

"Oh." The redhead narrowed her eyes with annoyance, "That wasn't very nice, Naruto."

"But it was funny!" Nora added as she and the injured Faunus high-five in agreement.

Pyrrha scrunched her face but felt Ren pat her shoulder, "Think of it like this. If he's already getting the energy to keep up with Nora, then he must be healing."

"But is that a good idea?" Jaune asked, "Because if we stick Nora around with Naruto as he gets his energy back-"

"Then we. Could rule. The world." Nora dramatically finished with a maniacal grin forming over her face. She looked at Naruto and pointed, "You better heal up fast."

"Already on it." Naruto swung his legs off Nora's back and over the bed before standing up. The others immediately looked like they were ready to come to his aid but stopped as Naruto had kept his balance. He tentatively slid one foot forward before taking an actual step with his other. He took a few longer steps around the bed as a triumphant smile came to his face, "See?"

"Woah!" Jaune was astonished by his speedy rehabilitation and Nora clapped for his encouragement. Ren and Pyrrha quickly noticed how slow he moved, and how he favored one leg over the other, but still his recovery rate was one to admire.

"Yep! Already moving better than I did when you got here!" He noted while making his way around to them, "I bet if I tried to run, I could-"

His legs gave out and he quickly tumbled to the floor. He was only stopped from landing completely on his ass because Nora and Ren quickly caught him. Naruto blinked in shock and looked around as Nora sat up on the bed and pulled alongside her partner to get him back on his feet. His eyes lowered and he chuckled self-depreciatingly, "I - ugh - guess I pushed myself a little too far."

"Here." Jaune quickly came over and wrapped his good arm over his shoulder, helping Naruto walk back around, "Come on. Slowly."

Naruto used Jaune as a crutch and slowly moved back to his side of the bed. The tall goofball helped him sit down as JNPR gathered around to make sure he was okay. He cradled his stomach, noticing his feet were shaky and looked up at his friends, "My dad's gonna be pissed about this when he hears I pushed myself."

Pyrrha sat back down, "When did your father arrive?"

"He was here when I woke up." Naruto leaned back, "He came on the first flight over the moment he got news. He was there the moment I woke up and he was by my side when I went back to sleep." He rubbed his ragged blond hair and sighed, "I'm pretty sure he's been getting less sleep than I have."

"Your father...he's a good man."

"Yeah. Yeah he is."

The room went silent as the five teens sat together quietly. They heard some talking outside, a mix of doctors and nurses walking through the hall and their other friends waiting outside. It was suffocating. How awkward and terrifying and sterile this air was and what topics they were afraid to bring up.

"I hope you come back soon." Jaune finally broke the stillness, "It's weirdly quiet without you around. It'll be better when you can joke and run and fight again. Me and Ruby found all your swords and knives in the pile of rubble so you don't have to worry about not having your weapons. But a few of them were - uh-"

"Destroyed." The Faunus finished, "I know man. I remember."

"Right, sorry." He muttered beneath his breath before his eyes watered. The others noticed what was happened but he closed his eyes to stop any tears from leaking out. His breathing was sharp and he shook his head, "I'm sorry."

"Jaune." Naruto sat up, "It's not your fault."

"He's right, Jaune." Pyrrha stood up and tried to reassure her leader, "This didn't happen because of you."

"And I certainly didn't help stop it." The blond said callously as his nostrils flared and he shook his head, "I couldn't fight those two that came to get us. It's because of me that Pyrrha had to stick behind and surrender instead of escaping." Pyrrha shook her head and tried to alleviate his blame but he continued, "I couldn't help you guys fight and hold those people off. And I couldn't help Sasuke or Ruby fight them off again when they came. All I could do was...just watch."

...

"Someone said to me recently..." Jaune swallowed and took a deep breath, "They told me that if I wanted to be a Huntsman, that meant I had to be prepared for the days where I might lose myself or the people I want to protect. And asked if I was still ready despite that. I said yes because...I believed I could." His team looked startled hearing this for the first time. The usually goofy blond let out a tired breath and shook his head, "But if this is what that is like...or even worse if we never got there in time, then...I don't know if I can."

"Jaune, I know what that's like." The whiskered patient said, "Believe me I know. I know how this feels. That feeling of not being able to save someone. The idea that you failed. The - the drowning feeling like you won't ever be able to do anything to fix it." He spoke with empathy for his friend's plight, "I know it."

"So?" Jaune turned to him, "How did you fix it?"

"I didn't. You don't fix something like that. You realize you failed and to be honest you never forget it." Jaune didn't move despite the bluntness of Naruto's words before the Faunus continued, "But you just...keep going. You always find something to fight for. A reason to keep going forward." Naruto looked around, "And you reason is here, right?"

Ren and Pyrrha reached out, holding his shoulder and back respectively. Jaune stumbled on his feet after Nora punched his arm with a grin. His melancholy changed into a small smile of relief as he looked between the members of his dear team. That was true. He still had his team...these people to fight for.

"Welp!" Nora clapped and licked her lips, "All this gloom and doom has got me hungry!" She looked around the room before spotting a tray with a bowl of jello still on it, "Oh! Can I have that? It's looks good~."

"You're wrong about that." Naruto rolled his eyes with disgust, "That stuff is nasty and has no flavor to it. If you wanna eat it then be my guest."

"Yay!" She reached over just to have her hand smacked away by Ren. She pulled it back like an injured paw and looked hurt by her best friend's action, "H-how could you?"

"That's not a treat you can snatch up for yourself. The hospital regulates portions and fills the food with vitamins necessary for their patients to have daily. You can't have it." Nora hung her head and whined sadly at being told off. The pink-eyed boy turned his gaze to Naruto and the whiskered boy flinched under his scrutinizing eyes, "Naruto, you can't just decide not to eat it. You're healing, which means you need all the energy you can get."

"But this stuff is bland and tasteless!" He whined. But Ren scrupulous stare didn't falter an inch as he stood by his statement. The whiskered teen sighed and scooped the jello up before swallowing it whole, a grimace coming over him before it went down, "Ugh...they could at least try for a little flavor."

"Well now I'm hungry!" Nora said with a humph as she dropped back in the bed with a frown and creased brow. Her team sighed exhaustively at her attitude as she swayed back and forth, "I can already feel my strength leaving~. I won't last~. Oh woe is me~."

"Ugh." Jaune relented, "I think I saw a cafeteria on the first level. You want to-"

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" Nora was already by the door and waving back, "If you don't hurry up then there'll be none left for you!"

"N-Nora! Not fair!" Jaune chased her out the room and called out for her to stop, "Last time you got a head start there was only broccoli and potatoes left to eat! Wait up!"

Ren blinked in silence before stating, "I don't think they realize they're running in a hospital." Naruto and Pyrrha looked up at him in silence before he sighed and slowly walked for the door, "I'll stop them."

The two watched Ren walk out as it was just the two of them left in the hospital room. The champion shuffled around in her chair before a kind smile came over her face at appreciation for Naruto's help, "Thank you for saying that to Jaune. He has been very conflicted these last few days after what happened."

"No problem. He can be really hard on himself sometimes, huh?"

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded with a light smile, "It's because he wants to do so much and help people. So when he thinks he hasn't done that, he blames himself." She looked back and fixed a strand of her hair out of her eye, "It's a bad habit...but I admire that he wants to do so much and work so hard. Makes me want to work harder as well, even though I still knock him down sometimes when we train." Pyrrha closed her hands together anxiously, "And I honestly feel the same way when I fail as well. Like during that fight."

"Kiba and Tenten told me you helped free everyone. And you led the attack against the Uchiha while Sasuke came to save me."

"Yes, but it's the same thing Jaune said earlier. We didn't have any weapons or opportunities to fight those people that ambushed us." Pyrrha's fists clenched together in stifled anger as her eyes narrowed to the floor, "And they were...extraordinary. I understand how gifted I am to be blessed with a power and abilities like mine...both those two..." Pyrrha looked down in thought, "How many battles have they survived through to be so skilled? We didn't have a chance without our weapons, but we should have stood and fought together, attempting to flee as a group. But instead I went to run for help."

"But Jaune told you-"

"Even if he asked me to do it, I should have said no." Pyrrha frowned, "They stopped me by threatening to hurt Jaune and the others. But what if I had ran faster? What if I made it far away that I didn't even hear their threat? Would they have just tortured them and left me to return to see - see them-"

Pyrrha's voice lowered until Naruto couldn't even hear it anymore. The redhead took a deep breath while concealing her eyes, Naruto noticing an uncharacteristically worried tremble in her breathing before she sat back up. Her eyes had much less certainty and strength in them than before as she asked, "Will something like this happen again?"

He looked at her in shock, "What?"

"This matter with the Uchiha. Possibilities with the White Fang...will something like this happen again?"

"I...don't know." Naruto couldn't give her a definitive answer. He wanted to say it wouldn't but how could he? Wilsk had returned and that had escalated out of control. Itachi wanted his brother back and that ended up with them all kidnapped and two of them in the hospital. How long before the next threat came back to bite them?

How long before he or one of his friends die because of this?

"I'm...I'm sorry." Pyrrha spoke softly, "I'm sorry that you were hurt like this. I'm sorry none of us could help you and stop you from getting injured. And I want you to know that...that I wish I could have done more. And if it happens again I will try to help...unless my team gets put in danger as well. " Pyrrha was anxious, looking uncertain and guilty for what she was preparing to say. The kind redhead steeled herself, "Because if something like this happens...and I have to choose between my team or you-"

"Then you choose your team." Naruto said, "Don't apologize for that, Pyrrha."

...

"When you say something like that...something selfless and encouraging to help me make such a horrible decision...but backed by what we just learned about you...that I'm confused." She looked him over curiously, "I didn't know you were a Faunus. But in hindsight that puts a few things into context. Being from a family of humans and Faunus...you must not have had an easy life. And for most people I'm sure that would be enough for them to see the world in a harsher, more narrow point of view."

"But I can't imagine that's how you see it. Because you're here, wanting to make up for your actions and help people as well. And unless I'm wrong, you tried to do it earnestly. You stood up to Cardin to help that Velvet girl, but you also helped Jaune because he was your friend. You didn't act differently because of race but you just saw people that needed help and you acted." She shook her head, "I can't say I'm knowledgeable about what Faunus go through personally or the White Fang. And I'm sure they joined an organization like that for a reason that drives them, but I still can't agree with the things they do. The ways they do it. So when I imagine you doing something like that...I can't."

She looked directly at him, "What reason would you have for joining with them?"

"..." Naruto looked down despairingly before shaking his head, "I joined because I wanted to protect someone...and I failed. And now..." His hand rested on his stomach as his eyes fell, "This...and everything that happened to me...I deserve it. For everything I did just to fail my promise."

"I see. I'm...I'm sorry."

...

"I wanted to go to Sanctum." He finally spoke again while Pyrrha looked up, not surprised by what he said as she had probably already figured it out, "That's why I asked you what it was like before. I was planning to go there when I was younger. I was just waiting every day to hear if I got accepted. I couldn't wait to see what it was like. My first step to becoming a Huntsman."

Naruto smiled fondly, "I was gonna surprise everyone! Show them just how well my dad trained me and how good I was! Take everyone by storm!" He grinned smugly, "Hell, I might have been the four time Mistral Regional Champion if I entered."

Pyrrha remained silent before a small giggle escaped her lips. She covered her mouth and laughed more openly before smiling again, "You should know that you would have had to fight many skilled opponents to do so."

"I think I could have handled them." He smirked, "I may have even given you a run for your money if we fought."

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded, "I think you would have."

"I think we could have been pretty great rivals if I did go there. I think we would have made real good friends too."

In another life. Different choices and different paths.

What could have been...if they chose differently.

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded with a sad look in her eyes betraying her smile, "I think so too."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto sighed and closed the book before placing it aside. Well that was one hell of an ending. Death, failure, despair, yet hope and camaraderie breaking through the darkness.

One hell of a way to end a book.

He was so glad Blake proved him wrong about books.

"Woo." Naruto leaned back into his pillow and enjoyed the moment of silence to decompress after the long day he had so far. He was glad his friends had come to check on him but man was it a hectic morning. He spent nearly an hour with each team so they could know he was fine and getting better. He actually felt kinda happy they were so worried about him.

He wasn't so happy with the underlying tension between all of them though.

They had barely said anything to him about it...he wasn't sure why. Maybe because he was healing? Because they didn't want to know?

It...it was scary. He felt like his stomach was lined with lead with how guilty he felt. Thank god none of them were seriously hurt.

Well, at least physically.

They all looked a little shaken up. Sasuke was barely talking to any of them. And Weiss...

How must she have felt about all this?

He was just glad to be by himself for now.

His dad was off making a call to his office to clear some things up. Which was good not just for him but for his dad as well. He had barely taken a moment to sleep and relax since Naruto had woken up. Which made him feel guilty all over again.

He was gone for four years and then they reconciled just recently...and now Minato had to hear that Naruto was in the hospital after almost being killed. How scared must he have been?

Naruto just took a breath and closed his eyes. He was going to start physical therapy again within the hour so he just needed to calm his nerves-

"Hello?"

Naruto's eyes opened and he sat up after hearing the knock at the door. It opened and a certain bunny Faunus walked in with an assortment of flowers and get well cards in her hands. She saw him in bed and her ears perked up, "Naruto!"

"Velvet?" The blond blinked in surprise and turned to face her as the upperclassman came walking over, "W-what are you doing here?"

"Well my classes ended early so I thought I would come and check up on you." She noticed the perplexed look on his face before she laughed at his confusion, "Did you really think I wouldn't come to visit my friend while he's healing?"

"No, it's just - um -" Naruto scratched his head, "Well I really didn't expect you to come over."

"Well shame on you for thinking that." Her tone was teasing and she knew it worked as a sheepish smile grew on his face. She looked around and noticed that he already had tons of balloons, flowers, and cards littering the available space, "Oh. Well - if I knew you'd already gotten so many I would have brought you something more exciting."

"Nah, they're perfect. You have no idea how much better it is to smell flowers instead of sterile sheets and chemicals."

"Hehe, I'm sure." The rabbit Faunus slid the bouquet on the drawer beside his bed along with the other presents he had been brought. She took the seat by his bed and got comfortable before looking up at him in silence, "So...a fox?"

"Y-yeah." He answered bashfully, scratching his chin while avoiding her eyes out of guilt, "I'm - uh - sorry for never telling you."

"Ruby told me. Imagine how surprised I was when she told me you were a Faunus and a fox at that." She crossed her arms and feigned a pout to spur a reaction out of him. After a moment of watching him shuffle on his bed with a guilty look on his face, she arched an eyebrow, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Uh - sorry?" Naruto nervously answered before shrugging, "I just never told you because...well, foxes and rabbits. Don't exactly have the best track record." She didn't look amused by that answer before he scowled back, "Well you know you weren't exactly the easiest person make a first impression on. I said hello to you and you looked like you were gonna jump out of your skin. Now imagine my ears were out and I did that!"

Velvet blushed with embarrassment before averting her eyes and coughing to dispel her redness. She sat up, "O-okay, you raise a good point. I - uh - well, I probably would have reacted differently if you greeted me like you did." She shook her head and her hair whipped about, "But that doesn't matter. I know you now and you're my friend. Doesn't matter what you are."

Naruto looked at her for a tense second before chuckling, "Yeah, I'm glad I got to know you too."

"I know this might be hard and I'm sorry, but can I ask you?" She leaned forward with a concerned look, "Ruby told me how this happened. Were you really...hunted? By a group of Uchiha?"

"Not really a group." Naruto specified, "Only one of them was an Uchiha. The others were - Kiba told me - 'psycho fanatics that took they're little reenactment too far'. Yeah he seemed really adamant that he got that description across."

"And your friend?" Velvet seemed to pause to let the point hang in the air before she nervously continued, "That - um - Uchiha boy? Was he-"

"He wasn't a part of it." Naruto quickly answered with a shake of his head, "He saved me and the others. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for him."

"He did?" She was surprised to hear that, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"He's healing right now because he got hurt getting to me."

"Will he be okay?"

"He...he just needs time."

Velvet nodded before looking at him, "And you?"

"Me? Pfft!" Naruto was quick to smile and buff himself up, making himself as big as possible with a confident look, "I'm healing. You'll probably see me running around the campus next week. Doing flips. Kicking butt. Knocking Cardin on his ass." He snorted with a smirk, "No biggie."

"Okay, Mr. Show-off," Velvet giggled at his energy, "B-but really, you can tell me the truth."

"I swear I'm okay." Naruto flexed the fingers in his sling, "My arm's fine and my nose is already fixed. It's just my belly that's catching up."

"Healing is very different from being fine." Velvet solemnly said as her eyes softened, "Naruto, if you're trying to stay strong so you don't worry your friends, that's fine. But I've been through a lot of scary things like this in my first year too. I...I tried acting like I wasn't scared or worried about anything either. It hurt but I still tried to push down my fear. But I...I needed someone to confine into before that worry manifested in some other way." She looked up and reached out for his hand, taking it with her smaller one. Her strong brown eyes met his fretful blue and she whispered...

"You can tell me if you're scared."

...

"Can," He looked scared as his eyes dipped before looking back at her, "Can I just keep looking strong?"

...

"Okay." She gave him a sad, but understanding smile and nodded, "But I have enough ears to listen when you want."

"Right. Thank you Velvet."

"You're welcome."

...

"Okay! I'm bored!"

The door slammed open behind them and Velvet's body stilled up to the tips of her ears. Naruto blinked in surprise and looked over to see a pretty young woman standing in the doorway. She had dark-brown hair with a light caramel highlight down the steak of one bang. Her eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses and a beret atop her head. She had a bag hanging off her arm and a bandolier strap over her shoulder. Her heels clicked against the tiles as she walked in and fixed her glasses, "Well damn, you need to space out those flowers cause one side looks like a field and the other looks like a deathbed."

"C-Coco?!" Velvet shrieked, looking about as panicked as he had ever seen her before as the new girl swayed in. The Faunus jumped up on her feet and her whole body was shaking as she stuttered, "I-I thought you were going to wait outside!"

"Oh then you totally misinterpreted why I tagged along." She responded with a wry smile, "I came to see this guy that's actually got you talking and interacting with people other than us. He's gotta be a miracle worker or something."

"Coco!" Velvet's whole face went red with embarrassment and mortification at her leader's brazen entrance. Her eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder to see Naruto, spaced out and confused by what was happening. Velvet immediately raised her arms and hid Naruto as best she could.

Coco simply slid her aside and stepped up to the bed as Naruto looked up at her, "Hmmm?" She tilted her shades, looking him over as Naruto leaned back cautiously. She was silent before extending her hand, "Coco."

Naruto blinked and looked over her shoulder to see Velvet furiously shaking her head and waving her arms, "U-Um - okay." He extended his hand in return, "Naruto-"

Her hand passed his and she held his chin firmly. Naruto went still from shock as she gently moved his head side-to-side as she examined closely. Sweat covered his brow and his fox ears trembled. And despite himself he felt his face heat up, not able to ignore the fact that this pretty new stranger was literally inches from his face.

She finally let him go and stood up, her glasses sliding back on her face as she smiled. She nodded, "Okay, he's cute." She fearlessly stated and looked back at her friend, "I see how he had such an impact on you."

Naruto's eyes blinked with no life behind them, "H-huh?"

"Coco!" Velvet wailed as she pulled her leader aside and whispered loud enough that Naruto could clearly hear her whimper, "W-what were you thinking?! You can't walk into an injured person's room and move their head around like that!"

"He seems fine." Coco defended herself before a coy smile stretched her face, "Plus you tell me you're going to visit your friend in the hospital and you expect me not to be intrigued? Shame on you." Velvet's huddle was quickly turned on her as Coco wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in, "If this was the mysterious guy that's talked with you, studied with you, and stood up for you, then I need to meet him! Plus did you see how he reacted when I got close? He's so innocent and cute that you'd have no problem reeling him in."

"Not like that!" Velvet denied, "I told you he's just a new friend I made!"

"And a fox in more than one sense~." Coco purred, "Forbidden love. How scandalous."

"Coco. Enough."

The fashionable girl felt her arm being lifted off and tossed from Velvet's shoulders. Standing behind the Faunus girl was a tall, lean young man with dark skin and red hair. Velvet's form relaxed at his appearance as Coco slumped and pouted at his crossed arm glare, "Stop torturing Velvet like that. She came to see a friend, so we should be understanding and respect that."

"I respect it." Coco mumbled, fixing her beret, "I'm just trying to have fun. Hospitals are always so dreary."

"There's a reason for that." He said sternly, "No more teasing."

"Fine." Coco huffed before smirking and walking up to his side. She elbowed his arm a few times, "You know I spoil you, right?" She smacked his butt before strutting over to stand by Velvet's side, defending herself from the Faunus' light fists of fury.

Naruto stared in shock.

This was Velvet's team? Damn.

They...they look so cool!

Once the situation had calmed, the boy turned to him and approached the bed. He bowed his head before speaking, "Hello. I'm Fox Alistair. Velvet's teammate."

Naruto sat up at attention, "H-hi. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. And I'm am an actual fox, I guess."

"He's got jokes too." Coco chuckled, "I like this kid."

"That's our leader, Coco Adel. She's very...forward." Naruto noticed the older boy's arms were covered in scars that he didn't seem ashamed to show. He motioned to the door, "We brought our fourth member along, Yatsuhashi Daichi, but he can't come in here."

"Why?" Naruto asked with some fright that he had angered a member of this crazy team, "Did I piss him off or something?"

"No." Velvet shook her head, "On the contrary, he's been very excited to meet you. It's just-"

"He can't come in here. Literally." Coco pointed over, "We're afraid he might break down the wall trying."

Naruto looked over to see a young man with shaved hair and a robe with a sode over his shoulder. He stood out of his seat, his head disappearing behind the top of the doorframe as he waved, "Greetings."

"Hi." Naruto waved back. This team just gets cooler and weirder.

"Sorry to ask..." Fox's blank white eyes turned to the window and he stepped around the bed, "But are you aware-"

"S-so you guys are Velvet's team?!" Naruto quickly snatched their attention again as he looked between them, "She always talks about you but I never thought I'd actually meet you!"

"What do you think?"

"So far I think I'm meeting the coolest upperclassmen ever."

Coco feigned embarrassment, "Watch yourself. Flattery will get you everywhere."

"We've been wanting to meet you as well." Fox said as he smiled at the young blond, "Velvet has mentioned you a few times and we've been waiting to meet you."

"Me? Really?"

"Yes." He nodded, "We wanted to say thanks for introducing yourself and your friends to Velvet."

"And be tutored by her enough to help her be more sociable and open to other people." Yatsuhashi added from outside the hall.

"Not to mention standing up for our little peacemaker when some mean old bullies decided to pick on her." Coco teased and pulled the girl in for a hug, "You're a friend of Velvet's and respect her enough to show it. As far as I care you're an honorary member of the CFVY family."

"C-Coco." Velvet muttered with embarrassment as she laughed a little at her friend's closeness, "Stop treating me like I'm a kid."

She sounded like she was protesting, but Naruto quickly noticed the cheerful smile on her face being surrounded by her team. This was her team. The people a reserved and timid girl like Velvet connected with more than anybody else at school. Her family.

"Speaking of which, that reminds me." Coco quickly pushed Velvet aside and strutted over to the bed before grabbing Naruto's collar. She pulled him in and took off her glasses to stare at him directly, "A few weeks back, we heard about a little incident where some ballsy freshmen picked on our Velvet. Now she quickly told us not to get involved and we wanna respect her wishes, but at the same time some kids fucked with my girl, and I don't appreciate that. So I'm gonna ask someone who was part of the situation...why shouldn't we march down the halls and bring brimstone and hellfire down on those punks?"

"B-besides the fact that the matter was resolved and those guys don't really bully people anymore?"

"Besides that."

Naruto was tempted to say nothing was stopping them but he quickly noticed Velvet, her panicked expression and frantic hand movements telling him not to set her off.

Just imagining this crazy abrasive girl, leading her team of a scarred badass and giant pillar of an armored man down on Cardin, a part of him giggled at the image.

But then his more merciful side spoke up.

"Well~," Naruto's eyes rolled before he smiled nervously, "M-maybe because Velvet pitied them and thought it'd be overkill if you guys followed? I mean just lookin' at you, I'm pretty sure in a few seconds, CRDL would be nothing but smears of goop across the courtyard."

...

"It's official."

Coco fixed his collar and stood up, placing on hand on her hip and her thumb pointing to the blond Faunus with approval, "I absolutely adore this kid."

Velvet sighed with relief, as Naruto felt himself swell with pride at the approval from this new awesome team.

He officially designated Team CFVY as their elder sibling team. Favors, tips, and pointers soon to come.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Easy. Easy." Minato repeated as he helped Naruto move back into bed, "Don't force yourself."

"I'm fine. It's good." His son responded with a strain in his voice before he landed back in the bed. Once he had made the landing, Naruto sighed and leaned back into it. He relaxed his sore muscles and laughed, "See? Told you I was fine."

"I'll believe that as soon as you stop leaning on me while we walk." Minato joked while he fell back into the chair with a huff. He took the moment of silence to relax and feel the tension seep from his body. He craned his neck back up and smiled, "They said you did a lot better today at physical therapy."

"Well I had some extra incentive."

"I noticed." The older blond looked between the assortment of flowers, cards, books, and comics that had been dropped off while he let the kids have their visit, "It's sweet that they're so concerned about your treatment. You better get well-"

He was cut off as his Scroll rang again in his pocket. He pulled it out to see the messages coming in and sighed before turning it off. Naruto looked between him and the device, "You've been getting a lot of calls today."

"Yeah. I sorta just up and left to come here, so there are some people back at the company asking questions." He scratched his head with confusion, "I thought the interim-President would be able to handle it but...actually that's on me. Shouldn't have expected Shikaku to handle everything at the drop of a hat." Minato leaned back with a sigh, "He's brilliant as an advisor but his laziness dominates in cases like this."

Naruto's ears flattened on his head as a guilty look came over him, "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't make that look." Minato reprimanded, "I hired a bunch of capable people and they can handle themselves. And whomever of my clients is complaining that I'm not there to sit behind my desk and be bored, they can shove their complaints in the unmentionable places." Naruto still looked ashamed for messing with his father's livelihood before his head bobbed from the hand on his hair. His father patted his crown and smiled, "There was nothing more important than me coming here to see you. Nothing in the world."

Naruto still looked conflicted but his ears perked up and twitched with his father's encouraging words. He still had trouble hiding his feelings when his ears were clear indicators of how he felt.

No wonder Blake always looked so peeved when hers betrayed her.

Minato pulled back and Naruto let a smile come back to his face before it was replaced with curiosity, "Did you have to come to the hospital a lot when she got hurt?"

"More times than you'd think." Minato said as he sat back and locked his hands together. His eyes drifted up and he looked deep in thought, "She constantly ran headfirst into danger, no matter how bleak it might look. And more often than not she'd wind up in a bed like this. Me and a few of the others would see if she was okay but she'd fix up by the end of the day and be on her way out." He chuckled, "Your mother is one of the toughest people I know."

Minato waited for a response but didn't get one after a few moments of silence. He looked back at Naruto to see him looking down at his sheets. His expression was crestfallen and he noticed a lack of mirth in his eyes. He immediately regretted bringing the subject up.

But since the tension was already there...

"It scares me to see you here." Naruto looked back up at him as Minato solemnly spoke, "I was always terrified when you got hurt as a kid. I knew you healed quickly. And I knew you were tough. But seeing you with a cut on your arm or a bruise on your cheek...and seeing you power through it so you didn't make your mother or I worry, always left me with a sense of dread. You always tried to hide your pain and how much it hurt so that we wouldn't worry about you...but we still did." He shrugged, "Just a part of being a parent. And I'm sure you tried to do it for your friends to...because you don't want them to be scared."

Minato sat up, "I don't know if you knew this, but I never wanted you to be a Huntsman." Naruto didn't make any reaction to that truth, so Minato had to guess he already figured that out. The older man scratched his head, "Yeah, figures. Anyway, it wasn't just because your Aura and Semblance worked in a different way. Wanting to become a Hunter as a kid seems so magical and fantastic...but it's different once you've been one. Seeing the worst that happens to people. Knowing what could happen if you slip up for even an instant. It makes some people shake just thinking about going back into it themselves."

"So when you think about your children going through something similar...there's just a part of you that's expecting the worse. No parent wants their child to follow that path." Minato muttered before looking at his son, "You always showed so much heart and strength, more than I ever did at your age. I knew I couldn't convince you not to follow your dream so I thought I could at least prepare you better. Train you. Send you to a good school. Make you ready for anything. And just hope for the best. But hoping and praying isn't enough."

Minato's eyes drifted down, "I came here as fast as I could. And I saw you here...hooked to a monitor checking your heart and an IV in your arm. Bandages over your body and looking so - so damn tired. I squeezed your hand and..." Minato's head hung and he took a deep breath, "If seeing you like this is what I need to expect...then I don't think I can stand seeing you here at Beacon."

...

Minato expected an explosive, incredulous rebuke at his honesty...but he heard nothing. He looked up to see Naruto facing him with a blank expression. He looked surprised at his son's silence, "I thought you'd snap at me for saying that."

"I don't really have a right to snap at you." Naruto said, "Plus I think we both know I've been selfish enough with the choices I've made." He sat up in his bed and looked at his father, "Dad, do you not want me to stay at Beacon anymore?"

"That's not my decision." Minato shook his head, "Naruto, it's not selfish of you to choose what you want to do with your life."

"If it hurts you then it sure feels selfish."

"You could have the easiest job in a factory making pillows and I'd still be worried about you. Sort of an unfortunate side-effect of being a parent." Minato shrugged, "But you made your choice to be here at Beacon. You made it because you wanted to do something good. It's what you've wanted since you were a kid. I know it might not seem like you should be here because of what happened...but you're here now, and that's all that matters. So...do you want to stay?"

"It's fortunate I came at this time. This seems like a decision I should be present for."

The father and son looked over to see Ozpin standing in the doorway. The wizened headmaster walked in and rested his cane by the wall as he walked over, "P-Professor Ozpin? What are you doing here?"

"One of my students was admitted into the hospital. It's my duty as an educator and caretaker to make sure you're okay." He stopped at the side of the bed and locked his hands together behind his back, "Plus I needed a break from my office. So many requests from media representatives for interviews and even more calls from concerned parents, mixed with the work I have in preparation for the festival and arriving students, I felt like I needed to run away."

"Was it that bad?"

"Well there are a lot of people asking about what happened." Ozpin fixed his glasses, "There was a group of my students that engaged in a heated battle with unknown individuals that tore up an entire street. And authorities were asking why a closed off section of the industrial district had been destroyed during the storm." Naruto looked especially guilty after hearing that, being responsible for the destruction and not even remembering how it happened. Ozpin just continued, "I told them that they should be more focused on a group alluding their patrols and abducting my students."

He grabbed Naruto's shoulder and assured him, "Since that night there have been no reports or sightings of them. We believe they've evacuated the city and they won't come back...but we won't stop looking until we are certain." Ozpin's eyes turned to the window for a moment before looking back to Naruto, "I haven't gotten the chance to speak with Sasuke because I never catch him in his room, so if you see him can you tell him that."

Naruto looked up to see the look of genuine regret on Ozpin's face that this had happened to him. He gratefully nodded to the old man, "Thank you."

"Thank you, Ozpin." Minato said as he stood out if his chair, "And thank you for the accommodations."

"Naruto is one of my students. And as such it's our responsibility to make sure he's taken care of while healing." Ozpin stated factually before noting, "That being said, not many of our students get sent to the hospital. So we don't get to use those funds as often as you'd think."

"Professor?" The elder headmaster looked down at his wounded student as the blond looked befuddled, "Can I ask you something?"

Ozpin eyes panned to Minato for a moment, but the older blond didn't know what his son was asking, "Of course."

"When I met you at the police station that night, you said you knew enough about me and Sasuke from various sources."

"I did."

"Did...did you know I was part of the White Fang? And that Sasuke came from a group that was fighting them?"

Ozpin nodded, "I did." Naruto's form seemed to tense hearing the truth as Ozpin elaborated, "This Uchiha sect that you were attacked by is one that the government has been aware of for a few years now. They are constantly on the move and when the Council does try and capture them, they escape the forces they send quite efficiently. I'm sure they have some people among their members adept at evasion and subterfuge."

Naruto looked confused and conflicted, "So then...why did you bring me to Beacon?" It was Ozpin's turn to looked confused before he continued, "I know you said you saw something in us both that should be nurtured in a place like Beacon and not wasted in jail...but it can't just be that. We were strangers. I was in the White Fang, and even after I quit I was a part of Wilsk's crime organization. Even if I was forced into it, that should have been enough to put me away for life. So why would you take a risk on someone you didn't know?"

"Well partly because I did know you, Naruto." Ozpin looked over the bed, "As much as I had learned when your father asked me for assistance in locating you years ago."

Naruto's eyes widened, taken aback as he looked back over at Minato. His father's eyes had drifted down before steeling himself and turning to his son, "You...you were looking for me?"

"Of course I was." Minato's voice was low, "I couldn't stop you but I still looked for you. The both of you. I...I just waited too long before starting."

"I'm...sorry Dad. I didn't know."

"Don't be sorry." His father looked ashamed, "I wish I could have helped sooner. Been there faster."

"When you were taken in by the police that night, I knew their description of you matched the one Minato had given me." He turned back to Ozpin as the older man spoke, "I wanted to meet you myself. I went there and I decided that I would give you a choice to see how you had changed. Would you accept prison...or come to Beacon? Had you been affected so badly by what you had done that you no longer cared about what happened to the world? Or was there still a part of you that wanted to do the right thing?"

"What about Sasuke?"

"Sasuke had disappeared from the Uchiha search for some time. When news about you both came to me, I wanted to meet him as well. He fit the description of the youngest member of that group that had disappeared. If he was the same person and he was working with someone like you, a Faunus and a former member of the White Fang, I needed to know why he did so." Ozpin answered, "He saw something in you that made him think about the life he had chosen to follow. He had changed...and I believed he could do a lot to help people in Remnant. Show them there is more to do than dwell on the past, and focus on a brighter future."

He had thought that of Sasuke? He believed in him that much since their first meeting?

"I won't lie. When I accepted you both to Beacon, there was an ulterior motive." He admitted, "I wanted your aid in helping us bring down Velton Wilsk. But I was going to ask you both in time. Before we could, you and your friends acted on your own and brought him down. His organization came crumbling apart and his associates were apprehended. I can't go praising you for working outside the law and our jurisdiction, but it's done and I'm thankful it worked out so well." Ozpin looked back down at Naruto, "You all did something good that helped a lot of innocent people. I believe you can do more of that if you stayed. But like your father said...it's your decision."

...

"I...want to make up for what I've done." Minato tried to speak but he continued, "I've felt nothing but guilty for doing what they asked me to do. Just following along with their orders. Even when I do something right or help people...it doesn't feel like I've done enough." He looked towards Ozpin, "My mistakes keep coming back to haunt me."

"I should have warned you." Ozpin spoke with soft remorse, "It's quite easy for me to say we should just face our mistakes...but it's in our nature to try and forget them. The hardest thing we can do...is admit how badly we faltered...and make up for them as best we can."

"Then that's what I'm gonna do." Naruto looked himself over, "I didn't want to end up here, and I don't want to die." He looked at Minato, "And I don't want to make others worry about me. But I want to keep helping." He steeled his eye, "I want to stay at Beacon."

...

"Okay. If that's your choice, then I'll respect it." Minato stood up and looked at Ozpin as the headmaster faced him, "Ozpin, I need to talk with you in private."

The white-haired Huntsman nodded and motioned to the door, "Let's talk outside."

"Dad, what-"

"It's nothing. Just something I want to clear up with him." Minato assured him with a smile as he followed to the door, "You just get some rest and..."

Naruto heard his dad and teacher stop in their tracks just in front of the doorway. They stood there, almost like they were frozen before Minato looked back at him. His face was still with shock and they both moved out of the way.

Weiss was standing at the door with a basket of decorative flowers and fruits.

The short heiress hesitantly took a step into the room, feeling very conscious of the looks she was getting from all three men. She stood very still, feeling nervous standing between the two older men before looking up at them, "Did I interrupt something important - b-because I'll come back-"

"Not at all, Ms, Schnee." Ozpin interrupted, picking up his cane and standing in the doorway, "Minato and I were about to discuss something outside. We'll leave you to your visit."

Weiss stuttered and raised her basket, "Actually I was going to drop off the basket-"

"No rush, take your time. We'll be out here."

Ozpin ducked out of sight. Minato followed after and pulled the door behind him before looking back at Weiss with a grateful smile, "Thank you for visiting."

He closed the door and left the two teens in an awkward, heavy silence. A long minute passed without a single word being said, the pale heiress staring at the door while Naruto just watched her back with suspense. When the first noise was finally made, it was a long sigh from Weiss that made him sit up in expectation. She turned, showing him her bored expression as she turned around, "I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

"Yeah." He thumped his chest, "Strong healer."

"I thought so." Weiss stepped over to his bedside and looked at the overwhelming amount of flowers and get well cards he had received from their friends and acquaintances. She looked back with an almost uninterested expression, "After taking hits from Yang, an extended battle with that psychotic criminal boss, and a blast to your head, I expected it wouldn't take you forever to heal from this."

"Oh. Nice to see you have so much faith in my recovery."

Weiss rolled her eyes before holding out her basket for him to take, "Here. This is for you."

He looked at her gift in surprise, "R-really?"

"Well I didn't bring it just to show off. I remember how much you eat and how horrible you are at keeping a balance diet. You can't have that while you're healing so this will help. Plus apples and doctors have an inverse relationship." She placed it on the side and started rifling through before holding an apple out for him to take, "Here."

He just stared at her offer, "T-thanks Weiss, but-"

"No buts." She firmly denied his refusal and held it out closer to his face, "These are probably the most nutritious thing you can have while you're here so-"

"But I can't eat solids." Weiss' eyes widened as he pointed down, "I - um - have a stomach injury. Just liquids and easily digested stuff right now."

"So...I bought all this...and all it resorts to is a pile of soon to be rotting fruit?"

"Pretty much. But it looks pretty! So thank you!"

"Ugh." Her shoulders sagged and she slumped down into the chair with a hand on her face. She tiredly rubbed the bridge of her nose, "That's typical."

"Sorry." An idea crossed his mind and he suggested to her, "Hey, why not give it to Sasuke? I'm sure he could use the healthy foods."

He regretted saying that. Almost immediately. The cold look in Weiss' icy eyes when she lowered her hand to stare at him showed him how sour a point that was to bring up, "Have...have you visited Sasuke yet?"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she looked aside, "I think he's made it clear he doesn't want to talk to me." Naruto wanted to ask but when her eyes focused on him he couldn't find his voice anymore. She crossed her legs and glared at him, "Did you hate me when we met?"

"What?"

"When we first met. I know technically it was that night we were all in the ballroom but I meant when we met during initiation. I was still very focused on the task at hand so I didn't recognize you or Kiba as viable fighters. I was rude to you both." Weiss asked with a stern look in her eyes, "Did you hate me from that very moment?"

Naruto was stunned after her question before shaking his head, "N-no."

"Well did the Schnee company do something terrible? To you or people you know?"

"Of course not-"

"Then was it humans?!" Weiss' voice raised, "Did humans do something to scorn you?! Something so bad you could never forgive them?!"

"No!" Naruto shook his head, "Why would you ask that?"

"Well then why?! Why would you join a group like that?!" She stood out of the chair so quickly it clattered to the ground behind them, "One that hurts people and makes them suffer!"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone!" Naruto yelled back without thinking. Weiss' mouth shut as Naruto looked stressed, "I don't hate humans. I don't hate the Schnees. And I don't hate you. I wasn't trying to hurt anybody. I never wanted to. I didn't want what they wanted. But...but I had to follow."

"Why?" Weiss asked, "I'm sorry for what Faunus had and have to put up with, but the White Fang were not the answer. Whatever their goal was has been long since lost, and they are merely terrorists enforcing the same cruelty they believe they've suffered on the masses! Making people fear for their lives! Bringing - bringing the worst out of everyone a-and-"

Weiss struggled to find her words before her angry tirade devolved into a desperate pant for air. Naruto stared at her in surprise as the normally composed and cold girl was lost in her anger. Weiss took a moment to catch her breath and force herself to calm down, a shiver going from her shoulders and down her arms before it stopped.

"He didn't kill you. Sasuke spared you for a reason." Weiss murmured through her teeth, her eyes trembling while looking back up at him. Her voice was shaky before continuing, "So why did you do it? If you didn't hate us, why did you choose to terrorize us like that? What's your excuse?"

He had a reason. At the time he believed he was doing it for a purpose, something noble that he could be proud of even with what he would do. Understood by others. But that was wrong. He was a fool for ever thinking that. Everything he did while under that emblem...

"I don't have an excuse." She looked up at him as he shook his head, "I can't make one that would ever excuse what I did. The people I tormented and hurt. The lives I ruined. The guilt. What happened to me...I think I deserved it. Maybe even worse. But I'm sorry." Naruto looked Weiss in the eyes before hanging his head, "I'm sorry about all of this."

...

She didn't say anything to him. He expected her to burst out with rage at any moment. He closed his eyes and waited...

But instead felt something get pressed into his bed. He looked down to see Weiss' palm pushing something down on the sheets. She pulled her hand back and Naruto got a good look at a photograph of a familiar scene.

"I hesitated." He looked up as Weiss forced her arms at her side, "I thought about so many things to do with that photo. Report you. Expose you. But every time I came close to making a decision, I stopped. I just," She clenched her fists, "I don't know why, but I can't do it."

"Weiss-"

"I don't forgive you!" Weiss declared, her expression filled with anger and betrayal. She pointed at the picture, "Do what you want with that but it's not penance! And it's not kindness! Feeling guilty and sorry for what you did is expected!" She shook her head, "I don't know what you're thinking, but you got innocent people captured and hurt because of your sins." She looked so confused and conflicted, struggling to find her thoughts in her anger while facing him. She turned around, "If you still believe you should come to Beacon, I can't stop you now. But if you do..."

"Then know from this point on I won't face you anymore."

Weiss' warning hung between them before she made her way for the door.

"Weiss, wait."

She stopped as Naruto spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that you've had to go through because of the White Fang. And if you can't forgive me...I'll understand. But don't hate Faunus. Not all of them want to hurt people. Even if it's hard for you...please give them a chance."

Weiss spared a look back to see Naruto had pulled his covers back and sat up in his bed to turn to her. She saw the unflinching look on his face after asking her to at least give them a chance. He didn't look like he was begging or trying to coerce her. He seemed like he accepted her harsh words...and truly pleaded just to give other Faunus a chance.

But she...

Weiss turned back around and opened the door, "Goodbye."

She closed it behind her and Naruto was left alone in his room. He stared at the door for he didn't know how long before his hand clenched tightly. He pulled it back and looked down at the photo he crumbled into a little ball. The damn thing that started it all.

He had made his decision to stay at Beacon and become a Huntsman, but once again he had failed to realize something...

How his decision would affect others.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Eventful day, huh?"

"Yeah." Naruto looked out at the black and starry sky from his bed and sighed, "Long day."

"Well it's gonna be another long one tomorrow, so make sure you get plenty of sleep." Minato warned as he got out of his chair and stretched his limbs. He saw Naruto pull his arm out of his sling, "Are you sure you're okay to move that?"

"It's fine." Naruto moved his recovered arm around in every angle he could remember to see what still hurt. There were a few movements that left a slight sense of pain but nothing debilitating. He gently massaged his shoulder, "It was getting so stiff I couldn't take it anymore." He noticed his father's reluctant look and sighed, "I'm fine Dad. Really."

"Well, okay. Just don't push yourself." Minato looked back down at the chair he was using as his bed for the last few days-

"Dad, you can't keep sleeping in a chair every night. You need your rest too. Just go to a hotel or something."

"I'm fine." His father assured as he sat down and got comfortable, "I get plenty of rest with you."

"I need to be here! You're tossing and turning every night trying to find the best way to get comfortable in that damn thing." Naruto shook his head, "Dad, I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that you're here. But you're gonna run yourself ragged sleeping by my side every night to see if I'm okay. You need to get some real rest."

Minato looked down at his chair before standing out of it, "You sure you'll be okay?"

"I promise I'll sleep and eat and follow all of the doctor's orders. And you can come back tomorrow morning to see for yourself. But now," He smiled and pointed to the door, "Go away and take a long, well deserved nap on a comfy bed."

Minato chuckled, "Alright. I'll give you some space." He patted Naruto's head affectionately before his eyes panned over to the window. He raised his brow, "Maybe you should go tell your visitor to get some rest too."

"Yeah, I will."

Minato smiled and stepped out the door, promising to come back early morning so they could have breakfast together. When Naruto was left by himself, he turned off the TV and sat quietly with the moonlight filling the room. He took a deep breath and grabbed an apple from the basket Weiss had brought earlier.

He sat up from the bed and hesitantly stood up, taking a moment to steady himself on his feet. He already felt steadier and more certain on his feet, but he didn't want to risk it so he carefully put one foot in front of the other. The fox Faunus slowly made his way to the far wall before pulling open the window and letting the soft breeze flow in from the outside. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Naruto leaned his head out and asked, "So are you gonna stand out there all night looking at the moon? Because I bet there's a better spot to view it on the bottom floor from your room."

Standing outside on the ledge along the hospital's exterior, Sasuke was leaning against the wall besides the window. The ebony-haired boy had changed out of his hospital gown into his normal clothes, but the bandages up his arms still evident from his surgery. He looked away from the moon for a moment to acknowledge Naruto before staring back out into the city, "I'm fine."

"Well if you're standing out on a small ledge most of the time I think that opinion can be argued." Naruto held the apple up and smiled, "If I toss this to you, it's not break your hands, right?"

Sasuke didn't even bother to reply to that jab besides a very subtle narrowing of his eyes.

Naruto tossed it over and Sasuke caught it, even though he joked he noticed the smallest wince in Sasuke's eyes before he stifled it down and started biting into the fruit. The two friends stared out at the bright lights of the city before Natuto spoke again, "You made sure to be down there when they went to visit right?"

Sasuke bit the apple, "Yes."

"But then you came right back after?"

"Uh-huh."

"You don't think it would be more beneficial for your recovery to stay in bed? Y'know, instead of perched like a hawk on the ledge?"

"I'm being released tomorrow. I'll get some rest before then."

"You're being released?" He eyed the fresh bandages around his hands and quirked an eyebrow, "How are your hands?"

Sasuke stopped eating and looked at him for a moment. He looked back out at the city and shrugged, "I'm not allowed to fight for awhile. Apparently I'm gonna get a list of all the things I can and can't do while my hands heal."

"Then stop pushing yourself by being a lookout." Naruto leaned against the windowsill, "You heard what Professor Ozpin said, right? Your brother and his group haven't been spotted anywhere in the city."

"Yep, so they might be gone. Or they're just in hiding." Sasuke said lowly before taking the last bite from his apple and tossing the core back to Naruto. He slid his hands back in his pockets and glared ahead, "We got into this whole situation because I assumed I knew how they would act and react. I failed, and we all paid the price. So until I know they're gone, I want to make sure you aren't in anymore danger."

He wanted to argue against it some more, but Naruto realized how futile that would be. Sasuke was adamant on staying in his perch, hoping to repay for his failure to help Naruto by watching out for him. If he couldn't be coerced, then it was better to just let him do what he wanted until he got tired and went back to his room.

Plus he probably needed the silence and solitude.

If his mindset was anything like Naruto's at the moment, it was filled with a hodgepodge of indecipherable confusion and shit. And Sasuke probably could use the alone time to sort through his thoughts.

He tossed the apple core behind him before relaxing against the frame, "Were you there when Weiss came?" He didn't verbally answer but he did turn to look at Naruto with a look of empathy. Naruto sighed and looked at the photo he brought over, "I really don't get it. After everything she's been through with the White Fang...she had every right to be pissed at me. She was so mad she should've already given that photo to everyone to see. So why didn't she?"

"Maybe she's confused." Sasuke said with uncertainty before shrugging his shoulders, "She probably can't focus properly with everything that's happened recently. Maybe she made a mistake or just did what she thought was right. Who knows." He then lowered his eyes to the ground beneath them, "It probably didn't help what we had to say to her."

Naruto scratched his head and traced his ears before taking a deep breath, "It's gonna be weird going back to Beacon." He waited for Sasuke to say something but the young Uchiha remained taciturn. He looked back over, "You're coming back, right?"

"..."

"Sasuke-"

"I'm coming back." He answered, "I'm just..."

"What is it?"

Sasuke took a deep breath before craning his head back to look up at the sky, "I tried to convince Itachi to come back with me. After what he did to everybody...even with you beaten and bloody behind me...I tried to persuade him. Stop him. So we could be together again like we used to be. And he turned away."

The young Uchiha closed his eyes, "I pushed him so far away...betrayed his trust so badly...that he's washed his hands of me now. The only family I had left in the world...and he wants nothing to do with me." Sasuke took a sharp breath before shaking his head, "And I'm scared...that it's gonna happen again."

"It's not-"

"You don't know that!" Sasuke cut him off with a harsh, angered bite in his yell. Naruto quickly noticed the uncertainty and fear settled in Sasuke's eyes, unsure of what may happen or what could change in the future because of him, "What if it happens again with all of you?! What if I make a choice and I abandon everyone?! I don't want to be left alone again! I don't want you to see me and worry that I'm gonna stab you in the back! I don't..." His breathing was sporadic as he closed his eyes and grit his teeth, "I don't want to see them turn their back on me as well."

...

"I don't think I can say anything that will make you feel better. Or worry less." Naruto said honestly, "I'm sorry that your brother..." He paused and shook his head, "I'm sorry I never told you about my dad. It was just a shitty fear in my head that I didn't want to think about again. And I know you know what that feels like." Sasuke looked at him, "I understand why you would think like that, but don't. Despite how we started out, you were the first real friend I had ever made. And no matter what happens, I'll fight and stand by your side until I can't stand anymore."

"Your my brother. And I won't turn away from you ever."

Sasuke still looked conflicted while Naruto's words hung in the air. The Uchiha's shoulders finally sagged and he let out a long breath before turning back out on the ledge.

Naruto watched him slowly make his was down the ledge and towards a spot he could climb down from. He stopped before looking back and nodding, "Good night, Naruto."

"Good night."

Sasuke hugged the wall before jumping down to a lower ledge. Naruto lost sight of him and was left standing at the windowsill by himself.

The Faunus looked down at the photo tone last time before tearing it up until it was unrecognizable. He threw it out into the night and watched the pieces float on the wind. He sighed before leaning against the frame some more and taking a moment to decompress. It had been a very long day with a lot of problems.

His team was split. RWBY was worried. JNPR felt guilty. He had made another decision that would worry his father. Weiss never wanted to speak to him again. Sasuke was lost. And during all of this Naruto's stomach ached so bad he wanted to throw up.

He just wanted one moment of true peace and solitude. He closed his eyes and let the cool night wind waft over his face, shaking the trees below him and filling his lungs with fresh air again. He felt his ears twitch from the wind running over them and sighed in relief.

...

_"I'm sorry."_

Naruto's eyes shot open and he spun around to find the voice he heard only to see an empty room.

Suddenly Naruto's stomach twisted and turned with fear and panic. He felt his heart beat faster, his hands go clammy, and his injury ache from the sudden unease.

He didn't know what would happen when he got back. But he was worried behind belief.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Well, as you'd expect from an event like that, tensions are high. Or at least you know they're about to bubble up.**_

_**Don't fret. Nothing will be left unsaid once I'm done.**_

_**You'll probably be getting a lot of those feelings over the next few chapters, but I can reassure you that you won't have to wait long for answers or a response.**_

_**We're reaching the end here people.**_

_**I'll do my best before Volume 4 is released.**_

_**Wish me luck. And enjoy.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	40. Making it Back

Hunting or Bust

Dust 35: Making it Back

The end of the Family Matters Arc. Plus something extra.

I'm looking forward to Agents of SHIELD.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Uwaghhhhhaaaaaa~." Ruby's shaky voice whimpered as her entire frame trembled with apprehension and dread. Her silver eyes had constricted into pinholes as she looked down in panic, "This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening."

"It's happening, little sister. Can't deny that." Yang snaked her arm around her sister's little frame to comfort her, "Best to just bite the bullet and prepare for the worst."

"But I don't want the worst, Yang!"

"I know...but what can we do?"

"I've made plans." Nora interjected, getting the two sisters' attention while Jaune sat beside her with clear focus on her planning. She opened her Scroll and showed her friends her rudimentary plans, "Now most of them revolve around distractions to waste time. So we all have a part to play. Jaune's gonna cause a scene during class to stop everything!"

The scraggly blond nodded proudly, "I've got some moves that can definitely get peoples' attention."

"He tells me that if he tries, he can lay on the floor and yodel while his body spasms like a gecko that's been hit with a shock baton." Nora looked across the table, "Ruby, can you overreact to his condition and make everyone stop what they're doing to come look?"

"Absolutely! I grew up with Yang and Zwei!" She proudly thumped her chest, "I'm a natural at overblowing little things and getting everyone's attention!"

"Good to know! Yang, you think you can start some fires?"

"Um - yeah, can do. I guess."

"Alright!" She looked back over the pictures and critical points on the map she had marked, "Now in order to bring in the stampede of animals I have ready we'd need worms, cat food, dog food, honey for bears, and raw meat for the sharks! Kiba, you're good with animals! Think you can convince these guys to work with us?"

The tattooed boy looked between the cabal and down at Nora's Scroll. He skeptically looked at the wide-eyed ginger and sighed, "Nora, I'm good with animals, but I'm pretty sure I can't convince them to charge into Beacon just to act as a distraction. Plus it sounds like a really stupid idea."

Nora narrowed her eyes and scowled at her friend disappointingly, "Oh, so that's how you feel. Very well. Can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Make sure to at least pull the knives out of our backs when you get the chance but whatever! Back! To my! Stupid! Plan!"

Kiba just blinked silently at her escalating voice before shaking his head, "You're not gonna guilt trip me into doing it either."

"Oh okay." She turned to the other end of the table with an innocent expression, "Ren~-"

"I'm not starting any fires, faking any debilitating injuries, or dressing up like a giant sloth to hold up traffic in the hallways."

They all looked towards Nora for a response. The exuberant girl silently stared at her friend before looking down at her Scroll and angrily swiping away one of the plans she had stored. She didn't respond or react in any vocal manner, which was already very unusual for the very expressive girl. She leveled an spiteful glare at her best friend before pouting and crossing her arms indignantly.

Blake and Weiss looked at their partners stoically before the bow-wearing girl grabbed their attention, "You're not really going to go to these lengths to avoid the tests, are you?"

Yang gave an uncertain shrug but Ruby was adamant on following the plan, "Of course we are! If we don't then we'll be stuck with the worst possible outcome! This is the week we've been dreading! The horrors and dread of a semester! The purest evil of school!"

"It's finals, you dunce." Weiss rubbed her temple, shaking her head and letting her ponytail bob around, "It's supposed to be stressful. We take shortened classes, finish our finals, and then next Monday there's an assembly before the break. That's what the last week of a semester is supposed to be like."

"I know that! My dad and uncle are teachers! I know that better than anybody!" Ruby looked traumatized remembering her past experience with the last week of school in her household, "The studying! The cramming! The expectation! The 'I knew you should have started studying earlier but I'm not mad, I'm disappointed' looks! Like the one you're giving me right now!" Ruby broke down and Yang patted her back empathetically, doing her best to keep her own lengthy experiences of getting called out by her family under wraps.

Weiss sighed, "I know that was played for a sob story, but it still baffles me that you can be so careless with your schoolwork when you grew up with two educators like that."

The last of Ruby's face disappeared behind her arms and she moaned sadly.

Pyrrha looked at her leader pleadingly, "I promise to help you study. So please don't flop around on the floor like a dying animal."

"Y-yeah, okay."

"But it's not just us! A lot of kids will be screwed by the finals! People who haven't studied! People who can barely take the test!" Nora tried to rationalize her plans and looked around the table to find support. She turned to one corner of it, "Sasuke! You get it, right?! Can you even take the test with your hands-"

She immediately cut herself off as the whole table hushed from the still sensitive topic. A few of them looked over at the taciturn Uchiha who only then realized that they had looked over at him. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren looked at Nora with disappointment as she lowered her head, "Sorry. Kinda forgot."

"What?" Sasuke looked around, "What did she say?"

"Nothing." Tenten answered her partner, "But did you get everything worked out with Glynda about the finals?"

He gave a small nod and looked down at his bandaged hands. He closed and opened them slowly, "I can do the multiple choice questions but the essay ones cause too much strain. There's a possibility I'll have to orally present them to the professors after class instead."

"Oh god, that sucks." Yang bemoaned on his behalf, "Sorry to hear that. But hey, talking might be easier than writing. So...that's a plus." Sasuke's expression didn't shift with her attempt at encouragement as she reeled back. She drummed her fingers over the tabletop before snapping them with an epiphany, "Hey we should all get together for a study group! Cover all our bases! Plus we got some of the smartest nerds in our year on our teams so if they work toge-"

Yang noticed Weiss narrowed glare before the heiress quietly fumed, staring down at her plate. The table went quiet again as some quick looks darted between the annoyed Schnee and the silent Uchiha. It was no secret that since Sasuke had come back he had been far less energetic and much less outspoken than he was before. Plus he and Weiss were not conversing as much as they did before the accident.

Like...not at all.

Yang lowered her hand and coughed awkwardly at the sudden tension in the air. She noticed Ruby freeze beside her and leaned in to her ear, "Every. Step. Is. A land mine."

"I know!" Ruby whispered back before faking a big, encouraging smile. It didn't seem to have any affect on her partner who still just looked at her food like she was waiting for it to burst up in flames.

A distraction would be heavenly right now.

Just then, Ruby felt her Scroll vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and smiled with glee at the message, "It's from Naruto!" She smiled and quickly opened up the viewer.

**Look up**

Ruby blinked in confusion before following the request. She craned her head back to look up at the cafeteria ceiling. After a few seconds of staring up at the roof, she looked back down-

Only to find the cookie and brownie she was saving for her lunch was gone!

"Made you look."

Ruby realized the others were looking behind her and turned in her seat. She was met with the sight of Naruto dressed in his school uniform and an orange bandana, with a half-eaten cookie in one hand and a brownie missing a bit in the other. He chewed on his mouthful a little longer before swallowing and grinning, "I'm back."

"You monster!" Ruby wailed in despair and popped out of her seat, enraged at his devious action, "It was gonna be a huge surprise to have you back here and you ruined it by snatching up my snacks!" She fell to her knees and slumped down, "How could you?!"

"Sorry, but this is the first solid food I could eat in the last week." He tossed them into his mouth despite Ruby's protesting and chewed them up with a big smile on his face, "I couldn't resist."

"Resist! Resiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiist!"

He finished them off and Ruby fell to her knees in defeat. Ignoring the despairing young team leader, Naruto strutted around the table and plopped down besides Kiba. The partners greeted each other with jabs of the elbows as Blake observed, "You're weirdly spry for someone just getting back from the hospital."

"Making up for lost time.,

"So, how's it feel?" Yang asked with a smirk, "Must be nice to get fresh air again, huh?"

"He was in the hospital, not a prison."

"But oddly enough, didn't feel much different." Naruto noted before grinning and stretching out his arms, "But I'm just glad to be walking on my own two feet again. I'd feel better if I got to get a workout again and fight in the spars but..." His smile fell into an annoyed frown and he propped his head up with his hand, "Professor Goodwitch sorta made it painfully clear I'm not allowed to participate for awhile."

"Until your physical therapy is finished?" Tenten asked.

Naruto hummed, "Probably won't be until after the break."

"Well then you and Sasuke are sharing that status for awhile." Naruto looked over at his friend after Kiba had said that. Obviously the injuries riddling his hands were still healing, and Sasuke had to ease into using them properly. If it was just flesh wounds then he would have recovered by now, but it was a mixtures of burns, piercings, and bent bones that plagued Sasuke's recovery.

And an especially difficult period of waiting for a swordsman like him.

"So, how about we move on from the awkwardness and devious planning-"

"Devious plan - what did I miss?"

"What's everyone doing over the break? Any plans?"

"We're going back home to see our dad." Ruby said cheerfully before nervously scratching her head, "He's - uh - he's been really worried about us recently."

"Pfft." Yang scoffed at the sheer size of that understatement. After what happened with the Uchiha, their father might as well have jumped from Patch to Vale to get here as fast as he did. He was doting, panicked, perturbed - every word in the dictionary that matched with him worrying about them - the moment they met up with him. He even marched into Ozpin's office to get an explanation of how he let something like this happen.

They were able to calm him down before he went full president of the PTA on the headmaster. Fortunately, it looked like Ozpin had become accustomed to these random outburst from concerned parents, so he merely sat there and took Taiyang's tirade.

For most parents they understood the dangers of what happened when you sent your children to a school like this. Then again most cases didn't involve kidnappings by unknown intruders that held them captive until they broke out and fought their way free.

Ruby chuckled nervously before nodding, "Yeah, so we're gonna go back to Patch and stay with him for a while."

"I'm heading back to Mistral to see my dad too." Tenten said with an eager smile, "I can't wait to get back home."

"My house is gonna be so loud when I get back home." Jaune groaned and palmed his face, "They are gonna ask so many questions about the scar and everything. Ugh...it's gonna take forever to get them off back."

"Well we aren't going anywhere!" Nora snaked an arm around Ren's shoulder and grinned, "Well be here to make sure everything's perfect while you're gone! We'll use up your hot water! Eat any snacks you might be hiding away so they won't go bad! And we'll give all the arriving students food poisoning to weaken the competition! And we'll do it because we're all such great friends!" She shrugged and laughed, "Also we don't have a home to go to anyway but mostly all that other stuff first!"

Kiba laughed, "It's gonna be good to see Akamaru and the others again."

Ruby jumped out of her seat with excitement, "Take pictures! I wanna come back to a flood of cute little snapshots of his face!"

"Uhh...yeah. Okay."

"Awesome." Ruby pumped her fists in victory before looking over the table, "Weiss, what are you doing over the break? If you're bored we can totally-"

She was cut off as Weiss stood out of her seat and all eyes turned on her. She looked like she was fighting the urge to say something before her head snapped towards Ruby. She quickly noticed the glare in her hard blue eyes before she sighed made for the exit, "I'm done eating."

"W-Weiss!" Ruby started stepping out of her seat and went to follow before looking back and waving them goodbye, "Uh - see you later! Weiss, wait!"

The speedy hooded girl dashed across the room and after her friend. As usual, Ruby's attempts to halt her partner's retreat ended without any positive result.

Except unlike every other time...she wasn't walking away out of boredom or disinterest. She was leaving because she couldn't standing sitting there...close to him.

Sasuke stood out of his seat and walked towards another exit. He didn't even say goodbye as he just slid his hands in his pockets and silently moved on.

Naruto's expression fell after watching them leave. And he looked around at the twisted, awkward looks on all of their faces as well.

Yang coughed and forced a shaky smirk, "She's - um - adjusting. I'm sure she'll...come around?"

Naruto closed his eyes and muttered, "I don't think so."

...

"Um, I know this is weird and everything," Nora leaned over the table to get closer as she looked at Naruto curiously, "But Naruto, you think you can wear some platform heels and act as a distraction to catch Glynda's attention?"

"Um...uh - maybe?"

"I'll mark that as a yes." She flicked her Scroll and nodded proudly, "It's all coming together."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"C'mon! Almost done with the last lap! You can do it!"

"Yeah, c'mon Naruto! We're almost done! Our sweet relief is just a few feet away!"

"Y-you know, it's hard to take you seriously when you're outpacing me while running backwards!" The hooded girl flinched under his scrutiny before spinning around and running alongside him. She was obviously slowing down to keep at his pace but he still found comfort in her encouragement.

A few more feet and they finally passed the threshold Velvet had provided with her position. She stopped the clock on her Scroll and clapped happily. Naruto propped himself on his knees and took deep, greedy breaths of air while she ran over to their side, "Great job! You cleared five laps like it was nothing! Way to go!"

Naruto felt the sweat on his brow get absorbed by his bandana but he still wiped his face before standing up, "What was my time?"

Velvet cradled her Scroll tight and stuttered shyly, "U-um, well it's better to focus on how you're feeling after doing all of that. Do you feel wheezy or-"

"Velvet." Naruto said her name with a stern glare, "Don't hide it. Let me see."

The rabbit hung her head before showing him the time. He and Ruby looked at the screen and he instantly felt like he had been slapped. He stood up and palmed his face, groaning as loud as he could, "I could've halved that time before the hospital! I knew I was getting slower each lap but...shit!"

"You were getting slower? I had no idea!" Ruby asked with honest surprise. She probably hadn't noticed he was going any slower while running beside him, just making sure to run alongside him and not taking any notice of the speed they were going.

For her it was probably all the same. Whether it was his starting speed or ending speed, it was probably all just snail pace for this speedster.

Naruto scoffed, "Well of course you didn't notice." He said with a fair bit of sarcasm as he smirked down at the shorter girl, "I bet we all look like statues when you run full speed. You could probably clear all five laps like..." They waited for him to continue, "See? Didn't even have to snap. You'd probably already finish before I even moved."

"O-oh pfft, I-I'm not that fast," She was trying to be modest but the bashful smile and blush at his compliment betrayed her intentions, "I mean I'm fast but you're just stupid and - Eyow!"

A well-placed flick to the nose brought Ruby back to reality. She covered her snout and pouted up at him as he chuckled. He clapped his cheeks and started bouncing on his feet, "Okay, maybe a few more laps will get the rust off."

"What?!" Velvet nearly shrieked and shook her head, "T-This is supposed to be your physical therapy! And you're obviously tired! Don't push yourself!"

"It's fine." He rotated his neck and stretched out his legs, "I'm pretty sure I can go a few more laps. Just check the time and-"

Velvet stood in front of him and put her foot down. Naruto was surprised by the firm look in her eyes that contrasted the usually timid or happy tint they had. She put her hands on her hips and spoke fiercely, "This isn't training. You are healing. You might still have energy to spare, but you can't keep pushing a healing body like that. You've done more than enough today and you should be proud of that. Now promise me you'll stop and rest for now." She pointed at his face and pouted, "Promise?"

Ruby and Naruto shared a look of surprise before he nodded, "Okay, I promise I'll stop for today." She beamed a content smile as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Velvet was actually really scary." Ruby noted with a drop of sweat running down her cheek, "She totllay acted like a scary upperclassman! All stern and bossy! It was like getting called out by Weiss but without the soul-crushing despair!"

"I know." Naruto agreed, "It's even scarier because of how much taller she is than us."

"H-huh?" Velvet blinked in confusion before looking up at Naruto and correcting his mistake, "Wait, Naruto, you're much taller than I am. How could you think-"

...

Her eyes rolled up to catch the briefest glimpse of the ears on her head before she shied back and mumbled under her breath. She looked up at the cheeky smile over his face and grumbled, "That's not funny."

"It kinda was."

Her mean glower vanished after a moment before she just sighed and accepted his teasing. She smiled, "I'll meet you again for tutoring, right?"

"You bet."

"Oh oh, can I join you guys sometime?" The youngest teen asked, "If I need to cram I'd rather it'd be with you guys."

"Sure, that sounds like fun. I bet Coco and the others would love to meet you."

Velvet stopped for a moment to look at Naruto. He noticed her glance and looked back at her before her eyes trailed up and stopped above him. He quickly realized what she was looking at and felt a cold pinch in his stomach.

Velvet shook her head before taking a step back, "Hey you two," She pulled out a brown and yellow camera from behind and turned it on before flashing a smile, "Why don't I take a picture to commemorate your arrival back?"

"Hey! That sounds like fun!" Ruby smiled up at him, "You wanna try?"

Naruto just shrugged and they stood together as Velvet started readying her camera. Once her preparations were complete, the two first-years flashed big smiles and waved to the camera as it flashed. When it was done, Velvet waved them goodbye and made her way back to the main building.

"You can go on back to your room if you want," Naruto told his younger friend as he started making his way to the locker room, "I need to check something first."

"It's cool. I can waste some time just hanging out with you." Ruby giggled and shrugged her shoulders, "What else would I do, study for the finals?"

"Heh, well said."

The two made their way along the lockers before stopping at Naruto's. He punched in the code as Ruby started balancing on one foot in wait, "So~, what are you doing anyway?"

"I haven't gotten a chance to see my weapons since I got back. Thought I might as well get a quick check on inventory." He pulled it open to see his weapons hung and propped in their proper positions before he smiled, "Guess I should be thankful you still remember my passcode, huh?"

"I know, right!" Ruby furiously nodded in agreement before crossing her arms with a humph, "After what happened with that guy Wilsk, Weiss was all like, 'I don't want you to know my locker combination! I don't care what kind of situation we're in! I'm getting it changed right now'! Like it was some big deal." Ruby shrugged, "I mean I know her new code too but I think I'm gonna keep that to myself."

"Smart." He looked back in his locker and couldn't stop the groan that echoed from his throat. Three of his blades laid on the bottom of the locker in shattered messes. Two of them were broken to the hilt while the third hilt was charred black. He already knew it was the case, but seeing it again really affirmed just how much this sucked. He kept his short blades in sheathes that carried two at a time, which meant now he had a useless sheath and a half-empty one to carry around.

Fantastic.

He quickly noticed his hidden blades among the pile; _Cutty_ and _Stabby_. Now these two had literally saved his skin. The last thing he remembered before falling completely unconscious was catching Itachi off guard and stabbing his abdomen.

It was probably gonna take some time for the Uchiha to recover from his injury too. Good.

The blond Faunus quickly looked over the confines of his locker to try and spot what he was looking for. He did and quickly grabbed one of the short blades from its dual-sheath. He looked it over, turning it around in his hand before sighing in relief, "Thank god."

"That one's different, right?" Ruby noticed as she came to his side. She looked up at him before she pointed at the hilt, "The grip looks like it's been fixed more often than the other blades. Is this one special?"

"This was my first blade." Naruto looked down at it fondly and spun it around his palm like it was second nature. Ruby watched as he deftly twirled it with precision before it came to a stark halt in his grasp, "My dad gave it to me when we started training. No matter where I go...what I do...I make sure I at least have this with me."

"Oh, that's cool." Ruby marveled before sighing and hanging her head in shame, "All the weapons I trained with when I started broke. All I have left is _Crescent Rose_." She blinked before looking up at him, "Hey, does this one have a name? I mean I know it's part of the other _Gatling_ set, but if it was your first weapon it should have a special name right?"

"Uh, I guess, yeah." He looked it over before returning it to its sheath and shrugging, "Do you wanna choose it?"

"Can I?!"

"Sure. Just...put more effort into it than those team names you made before. Like...a lot more effort."

"Hey!" Ruby puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, "I changed those names! They're way, way cooler now! And just to show you how good I am at making names, I'll give that one an awesome one!"

...

"I'm waiting."

"I-in time." Ruby mumbled, "I need time to think."

"Fine." Naruto turned back to his locker, "I'll leave the artist to her work." He bent down and started taking inventory of the arrows he still had stocked. He opened the compartments in the bottom of the hilts to find they were either low or completely empty. He had to start restocking soon.

"Um...Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I...um - feel free to say no if you want, but can I ask you something?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this. Especially with how she struggled to come out with it.

"I was just wondering - and remember you don't have to answer...but why are you still wearing your bandana?"

Yep. He noticed their looks. When he came back in the cafeteria, the first thing he saw was all of them taking notice of the cloth covering his hair. And more importantly his ears.

Well most of them. Sasuke was still out of it and Weiss...she didn't even bother looking.

Velvet looked too, no matter how discrete or quickly she played it.

"I mean if it's just a fashion statement then I totally get it! Really! I mean I'm taking the fashion world by storm with my hood so if that's the reason-"

"There's a lot of reasons I wore it." He cut her off and Ruby's mouth shut tight despite him not even responding in a sharp or annoyed tone. He just sounded frank as he started refilling his weapons, "So people didn't give me any weird looks. So that people wouldn't bother us with questions like why an Uchiha and a Faunus are working together. So I could stay even a little bit hidden from the Uchiha and White Fang. There were a lot of reasons I justified wearing this thing...but now I think I'm just wearing it because I'm ashamed."

"Ashamed? O-of being a Faunus?"

"Of myself, I guess." He also wore it because in some way he thought he could feel like he did before this whole mess came down on them. Just a kid at Beacon, aiming for his goal.

Now he was a kid at Beacon...and he felt...

Naruto stood up and stared down at the floor before speaking, "Ruby, I don't think I can say sorry anymore."

"Huh?"

"I just...I can't find it in myself to apologize anymore."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked with reservation at asking any further. She looked at his back before swallowing the lump in her throat, "Naruto, do you not feel sorry-"

"Of course I do." He stopped her and quickly corrected the misunderstanding, "I feel terrible. I never forget what I did. But...I've felt guilty about it for years. I've tried to make up for it and apologize however I can. I'm here because I want to help people now instead. But..." His eyes became heavy as he held his stomach, "The guilt doesn't leave. How can I be sorry for what I've done when I know it's not going to make me feel any better?"

Ruby was silent after being asked such a loaded question and could only stand there in silence with him. She looked back up to see him still staring down at the ground before she spoke again, "I-I don't know. I'm sorry Naruto."

"It's fine." He lowered his hand before a dry, mocking chuckle escaped his lips, "I don't know what kind of answer I was expecting." He shut the door before slumping back into it and letting his shoulders sag, "Sorry for putting you in that situation."

"It's fine." Ruby stepped forward, "Naruto, I know it seems really hard right now, and even Weiss," She stopped and took a moment to think about what she could say to cheer him up, "S-she's just reacting to this a little badly. But she didn't like me very much when we started but look at us now! Just give her some time!" There was hope in her voice that her friends would get along again as she nodded, "I know you and her can talk again if we just give her some time."

He didn't have the heart to tell her Weiss had already made up her mind. Ruby apparently didn't know what the topic of conversation was between them when the young Schnee came to visit the hospital. She might not have even known that Weiss made a trip at all. He didn't want to tell her because he knew she'd march up to Weiss and beg her to reconsider. Which would only piss Weiss off more, and then it'd bring Yang and Blake into the argument too.

He didn't want to see RWBY like that.

"Why are you still trying to help me?"

"Because you're my friend."

"But you saw the photo."

"Yeah, I did. And it was scary. And I'm also watching you right now, and you look scared and frightened and sad. And I'm worried about you." Ruby looked up at him with firm eyes, "No matter what, I know you're my friend. And I'm helping you because I know you'd do the same for me."

Naruto was speechless after hearing her say that. His eyes narrowed and he looked up in time to see her reach out and grab his hand. She squeezed it and nodded, "It'll be okay."

He didn't deny it. He could have but he didn't want to. Not right now.

"Thank you."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto made his way back to his room. He told Ruby to go on ahead while he reloaded his blades. Now he was making the trek back to his dorm to call it a day.

He could feel parts of his clothes sticking to him from the sweat. He really wanted to wash off.

He swiped his Scroll and opened the door. He was looking forward to coming back after the extended time away from his-

The moment he walked in, he swore he felt the tension slam square into his chest. He stepped in to see Kiba standing by his bed and Tenten sitting on the side of hers, anxiously watching him come through the door.

He saw Sasuke on his bed as well, concern in his eyes when he looked up at him. Naruto turned back to Kiba and Tenten, "We need to talk."

Naruto felt his stomach go cold as he closed the door and stepped in further. He walked up to the end of his bed, looked between his teammate's' expression before facing Kiba and Tenten, "I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you."

"We knew you would say that. We knew." Kiba nodded, sounding much more even and level-headed than he did the last time he confronted them like this about Wilsk, "But we don't know anymore what you can't tell us or just won't tell us."

Naruto's eyes narrowed so slightly, "What does that mean?"

"You know what it means." Kiba clarified as he stepped away from his bed and over to Tenten's side. The bun-haired girl still looked conflicted about what was going on so Kiba continued, "You didn't tell us about being thieves or working with Wilsk. I knew you were a Faunus and we figured it out, but you had tried to keep that secret. And this...there may have been a chance that one day further down the line you would have told us that you were in the White Fang." He looked over at Sasuke, "And you were a part of a group that was fighting and killing them. And that you were trying to kill each other. You may have told us one day, or maybe you wouldn't, but that doesn't matter because we know now. But only after this happened."

Kiba looked between the two of them and spoke with an eerie calmness, "We can't go on like this. We can't go the rest of our time - hell, we can't do the next semester like this if you keep hiding things from us. Keeping secrets from us."

"Kiba-"

"There can't be anymore excuses. No after what happened." He stepped forward, "It wasn't just us that got caught in it, but everyone else. We were all involved in this matter. We can't be blindsided like that anymore. We need you both to tell us anything else like this."

"I," Naruto paused and attempted to make sense of the thoughts clouding his mind, "I can't-"

"We can't." Sasuke finally spoke up and stood from his bed. They all turned to him as the tired Uchiha spoke, "We understand what you mean, but we don't want to bring up the past anymore. We just want to move on."

"You say that," Kiba retorted with a frown, "But right now it looks like you're both letting the past control you, making you scared and stopping you from even talking."

"Please, can't we just-"

"NO! WE CAN'T JUST MOVE ON!"

They were taken aback from the sudden yell and looked to see Tenten had jumped from her bed with a pant. Her eyes started to water as she shook her head, "How can you two still say something like that?! After everything that's happened! Even if it's painful to remember, do you have any idea how hard it is to worry that you might suffer or get hurt again!" Her eyes focused on Naruto and he noticed how tears had started to spill from them, "You! We thought you were gonna die! W-we went to that hospital and we heard about your injuries, a-a-and we were expecting the worse! And Sasuke," Her voice cracked as she cried, "You didn't say a word to us. W-we thought we had lost you. You were hurt and you needed help but you didn't come to us." Tenten's tears fell unbidden down her cheeks as she threw her arms down, "I-if something like this happened again, a-and you were both...because we didn't know..."

Tenten covered her mouth and tried to control her sobs before she sat back down on her bed. Naruto and Sasuke both looked on in horror at the state they had left their friend in. Kiba watched Tenten silently before he turned back to them, "Naruto...Sasuke...you're our partners. Our teammates. We're friends. And we know, despite everything that's happened, that you're good inside. But we keep realizing we know less and less about who you both really are. We see you now and we realize..."

"You're still just strangers to us."

Naruto was silenced. Hearing his partner say that hit him harder than he could believe. The disappointed look on Kiba's face, and Tenten's red eyes while she stopped crying just hammered in how nauseous that statement had left him. He saw Sasuke walk back to his bed while he just stood there in silence. Hearing the people he had trusted so much tell him he was still a stranger hurt like a knife.

But he knew they were completely right.

He couldn't call himself their friend or leader while he still hid secrets and information from them. But he knew they'd never look at him again if he told them everything.

This was the result of their secrecy.

This was the result of trying to keep their secrets and lie to their friends.

This was what broke Team NKTS.

Kiba finally made a move and stepped over to drop in his bed and stare at the ceiling. Tenten continued to catch her breath while Sasuke just laid on his sheets. Naruto couldn't find it in himself to say anything else after that argument and made his way to the shower. At least he could wash off some of the sweat and dirt...that might just make him feel better. Maybe just a little.

Naruto turned on the water and let it run until it started getting hotter. He waited and pulled his bandana off to let his fox ears free. They twitched and relaxed being freed from their confines as Naruto ran a hand through his hair. He sighed and pulled his shirt off before pausing and looking into the mirror.

From the reflection he could see the scars that now marked his body after his fight with Itachi. A pair of ridged piercing scars on his shoulder, abdomen, and one on his thigh from where the sheet metal covered in ice had hit him. And the long, jagged scar that ran over his stomach from where Itachi had sliced him before freezing the wound. It was because of the ice that the wound didn't seal properly, and only after he got to the hospital were they able to sew it up. Without his Aura to patch him together, the wound stayed like that for a while before it got back to work. Apparently it was long enough to leave a scar by the natural process.

It was a reminder.

Just how close he was to dying.

How close he was to paying for his crimes.

Shouldn't he have paid for them?

Wasn't it better that he got away?

He was still a good person.

Weiss didn't think so.

What about the others?

Did they still trust him, or did they barely stomach looking at him anymore?

Kiba was right.

He can't know the truth.

Tenten cried because of them.

She'd be sickened knowing why he did it in the first place.

They would understand.

They'd hate him.

He had his reasons.

He hated himself.

He was trying to do something good. To correct all the wrong things he had done.

What about his father? Was he doing him a favor by never calling or contacting him? By staying here and putting him through more worry? Was that to help him or was he just being selfish?

Was this all because he was selfish?

Did he deserve to be here? Did he deserve a second chance?!

Better men never got what he got!

So why does he get to try again?!

Why did he keep screwing up?!

W-why w-w-was-

H-he couldn't breathe.

H-hyperventilating.

The mirror, it was all foggy.

T-the heat was getting to him.

His stomach hurt.

Did his wounds reopen?!

Why was this happening?

Why did he do this?!

Why?!

WHY?!

_"I'm sorry."_

"AAAHHHHHHH!"

Naruto burst out of the bathroom as steam flooded out. He fell to the ground and gasped for air as his team jumped to their feet, "Naruto!"

"M-my stomach!" Naruto grabbed his wound and cradled it as he tried to breathe again, "I-It's open!"

"Let me see."

He couldn't recognize whose voice that was as someone grabbed his hands and tried to pull them back. No! He resisted. If they did the wound would get worse and blood-

"Its not open!"

"W-what?"

"You're not bleeding! You're just panicking! Breathe!"

Naruto gasped and struggled with the demand before he started taking slower, longer breaths. His sight started to darken from the white background it had become to see his teammates huddled over him. They looked down at him in concern before he heard Tenten ask, "Are - are those from the fight?"

His head fell back into the ground and he cursed himself.

Dammit! Dammit!

He just wanted things to be right again. But now he realized he didn't know what that meant anymore.

**((((((((Extra: Across the Pond))))))))**

("And remember that when you arrive, you will be representing not only Haven, but all of Mistral. And even if you choose not to participate in the tournament, remember to abide by the rules when you arrive in Vale. This is one of the greatest honors you as students can experience during your time at Haven, and I expect the best from all of you. Thank you, and enjoy your time at the Vytal Festival.")

"Well that was fun, but we still don't know what we're supposed to do for, like, the whole week of we have before even leaving for Vale." A tall, blue-haired boy stated while he and his team made their way back to their room, "Seriously, a little clarification would be nice."

"Stop worrying." His tall, green-haired teammate attempted to sedate his friend's panic, "They'll probably just send us a notification or something. You know worrying like that makes you look really uncool, right?"

"Whose worrying? I'm not worrying!" He immediately fixed his expression to a nonchalant calmness while fixing the goggles on his head, "I'm fine. Totally fine. Cool as a...cool thing, I guess."

"That's the spirit." The red-haired member of their trio nodded before looking back, "You should focus on the more important things. Like the fact we're taking a plane rather than a boat. And that the plane will still be flying over the ocean while we make it to Vale. And other ocean related things."

"Don't...don't even joke about that man."

"Okay." The redhead shrugged before looking up in thought, "I need to think about what I'm gonna pack. Clothes. Weapons. My favourite toothbrush."

"Neptune, why don't you contact Sun? See when he's getting back from visiting his family."

The blue-haired boy came out of his terrified little reality imagining the ocean before nodding rapidly, "Y-yeah, good idea." He pulled out his Scroll and started typing away to his partner. He waited for a response before his eyes widened, "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?"

"What uh-oh?"

"Sun texted, 'I'll see you in Beacon'. What does he mean by that?"

...

"Oh god."

**Meanwhile, thousands of miles away**

"Hey, what do you think Vale is like?"

"Well it's probably like Vacuo, just less sand."

"We should definitely try out some of their stores when we get there. I wanna see what Beacon kids wear all the time when they don't have to worry about sunstroke and sunburns."

"Have you seen the Readit posts on Beacon yet? There are a bunch of posts on the rookie teams and people that are gonna join the tournament. Did you hear about these 'Dirty Dozen' from Beacon?"

"Octavia, get off the Scroll. You're gonna trip getting on the boat and we're gonna have to pull you out of the water."

"Okay well how about this Hottest student thread-"

A golden blur passed the awaiting Vacuo students and made its way to the pier of boats. He waited with baited breath as the dock workers started stocking up the boats with as many supplies as they could.

"Okay, I think that's it for this one!"

"Close it up!"

It was for just a moment - just a small turn away from the boat to get some help from the other hands - but it was enough for him to dash into the boat's storage.

When the door closed behind him, the blond teen pumped his fist and yelled in a hush voice, "Victory! Sun Wukong! Faunus extraordinaire! Leader of Team SSSN! And stowaway! Vale here I come!"

...

Trapped in the dark space of the boat's storage with the food and supplies, no companions and a dying Scroll.

"I regret this decision."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**So, I hope you enjoyed that little tease at the end. Leading to the last arc now.**_

_**Naruto wants things to return to normal, and Sasuke may not be actively aiming for that same point at the moment, but he also wishes they could just move past this. Kiba and Tenten on the other hand cannot. They want the truth.**_

_**Soon enough, they'll all be on the same page.**_

_**In fact very soon.**_

_**Get ready for a very full arc next time.**_

_**Like...tons of shit.**_

_**Teehee.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	41. The Beast Within the Beauty

Hunting or Bust

Dust 36: The Beast Within the Beauty

Creeping Darkness Arc...begin.

I'm sorry I forgot to mention this last time...but thanks for helping me past 900 reviews and all these favorites/followers. I love you guys.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"The Faunus Noble Guards. You'll hear people call it 'The Majesties of Menagerie', but that's not the real title. This is."_

_The soft voice cleared their throat before speaking, "A long time ago, when people were still new and finding sanctuary from the darkness, the Grimm continued to reap the masses. Even together people had difficulty combatting the threat of the monsters, but it was even worse while they were divided. Humans started finding refuge and building settlements to protect themselves, but the Faunus had to defend themselves. And poorly, as it seemed."_

_"Until one day, a group of Faunus gathered together to fight back. Trained through the experience fighting the Grimm, they were able to protect the Faunus long enough for them to create a settlement of their own. They were praised and loved by all Faunus, and anointed as the guardians that would protect them through every hardship they might face. They accepted that task without pause."_

_"But the Grimm grew fiercer. Stronger. Larger in number. The noble guards could no longer protect the masses from the oncoming Grimm. Things were bleak, and hope seemed lost. Until the guards changed. They may have sold their souls. They may have succumbed to their inner demons. They may have eaten the flesh of the Grimm and taken their form. But the noble guards had changed. Suddenly their bodies were clad in cloaks of different colors, and they changed into beasts themselves."_

_"At first the other Faunus were scared of them, but soon they realized what their guardians had done. They sacrificed what they were to protect them against the great evil and they were accepted despite their change. Those noble guards protected the Faunus well into the period where people started to recognize history. The noble guards disappeared, but the legends of their heroics persevere through the ages. So that we may never for- eep!" She gasped, looking back and down before laughing, "Hey mister, did you hear anything I said?"_

_The little blond fox sleeping against her bushy red tail stirred from his cat nap. He sat up, blinking and rubbing his eyes as he stifled his yawn, "Sorry Mom, I'm just a little sleepy."_

_His mother gave him a disapproving look, "You weren't up all night watching old tournament footage again, were you?"_

_"N-no ma'am!" He replied unconvincingly as his ears twitched on his head._

_"Hmm." She hummed before crossing her arms, "So it was just my boring story?"_

_"No!" The young child desperately tried to save himself, "I'm just tired! It's cold and your tail is warm and I-I just felt sleepy."_

_"Helps that you're wearing your jacket." She fixed his outfit before tapping his nose, "You need to stay bundled up. It's getting cold and you aren't gonna be using my tail as a pillow all the time, okay?"_

_"Okay."_

_"Oh, come here." She couldn't stay mad at him. She pulled him in for a quick hug before he sat in her lap and they looked up together. His back settled against her as they watched the calm grey skies._

_They weren't gonna get a chance to use their backyard like this for much longer. So while Dad was away, they sat together and enjoyed the tranquility._

_"What's Mistral like?"_

_"I don't know. I've lived in Vale most of my life, and before that I was in Vacuo. So I guess you and me will find out together. But before that we're gonna stop over on an island called Patch."_

_"Patch?"_

_"Uh-huh. All of our stuff is gonna get collected and carried over to Mistral ahead of us, and then when it arrives we'll make the next trip over."_

_"Oh."_

_"Are you excited?"_

_"Yep."_

_"You don't sound excited."_

_"Well cause we're probably gonna move again sometime after that too, right? We usually do."_

_..._

_She was silent. She must have been thinking about what he said. He hoped he wasn't in trouble._

_"Naruto?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Do you ever wish you were human? Like daddy?"_

_Naruto thought with a hum, "Well I don't think it would be very different, because I'd just not have my ears, right?" He thought a little harder before shaking his head, "No, I like being a Faunus." He smiled, "Because I'm already like you, right Mom?"_

_..._

_He felt her arms squeeze a little tighter around his neck and she leaned against his head, "Mom?"_

_"Y-yes, sweetie. I like that we're the same too."_

_She sounded weird but he nodded and smiled, "Okay."_

_"Naruto?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"I'm sorry."_

He woke up. Just like he had every night since the hospital.

It wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't in a panic. He didn't wake up screaming or crying.

The dream ended and he woke up.

It was the same dream. Or at least pretty damn close because they all ended the same.

All the times with her...and she said the same thing.

How many times had she said that and he never even realized it?

He sat up in his bed and looked around the room. Sasuke, Tenten, and Kiba were all still sound asleep since the alarm hadn't even gone off yet. And the room was in a mix of dark and light, that period when even the sun hadn't popped out properly.

He was awake and he already knew he wasn't gonna fall back asleep.

Might as well go for a run before the last day starts.

Help clear his mind.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Oh, it's just so beautiful, isn't it?" The Schnee heiress looked like she was on cloud nine, light on her feet and an unmistakable giddiness in her voice while they walked through the streets of Vale. At any moment she looked like she would start skipping and singing a pleasant tune with birds and other woodland critters flocking around her.

It was out of character and really, really unnerving now that they thought about it.

"Weiss, you're so happy. You've never been this happy." Ruby cowered, "Is something wrong? Do you have bad news? Are dogs and cats gonna start living together!"

"I can promise you they won't." Blake added.

"No, you dunce!" Weiss snapped at her as Ruby was torn between fear and relief at her familiar behavior, "I'm just enjoying the sight of the Vytal Festival preparations!" They looked over the street at the numerous signs in store windows and the banner being strung up between buildings that said 'WELCOME TO VALE'. Weiss swooned, "Oh, it's absolutely breathtaking! All the culture that's going to flood these streets! The camaraderie between Kingdoms! All this planning and organization is just so wonderful!"

"Wow." Yang deadpanned and rolled her eyes, "Didn't think there was any way to ruin the festival for me. Congrats Weiss, you did it by releasing your inner nerd."

"Hush." Weiss frowned, "I'm trying to take it all in."

"Yeah, lighten up Yang!" Ruby bounced up to her sister, "We should be happy! Look how much Weiss is smiling! This has to be the most she's smiled since-"

This time Ruby was cut off when both Yang and Blake clamped a hand over her mouth. Their leader's eyes widened as she realized what she was going to say and groaned, wanting to kick herself in the butt. All three of them looked up to see Weiss was too focused on their surroundings to hear them as they let out a collective sigh.

Yang collected herself and stepped up, "Okay so other than getting some fresh air, any reason we're walking around the city today of all days?"

"Well, the students from Vacuo are arriving by boat today," Weiss attempted to sound neutral but her inner mastermind bled through, "I believe as esteemed students of Beacon, it is our duty to go greet them and help ease their transition into Vale."

"Translation," Blake helped, "All of our opponents are arriving and she wants to spy on them to get the upper hand."

"Quiet you."

"So we came all the way to the docks - the place where all the breeze and salty air messes up my hair - just so you can creep on the competition?"

"I didn't say that." Weiss defended herself, "If that's how you wish to interpret it then that's your problem."

"If my hair puffs up and gets frizzy, it's gonna be everyone's problem."

"There are easier ways to do this, Weiss." Blake offered up with an amused laugh, "Why don't we just poison their food to slow them down?"

"Or lock them out of their dorms?"

"We could get them lost?" Ruby innocently offered up, "Would that work?"

Weiss silently turned to face them and pulled at her lips like a zipper. The glare that followed only intimidated Ruby but the other two decided to stop since they got their licks in. The four girls kept making their way down the street until they caught sight of the pier. But before they reached the docks, they noticed a gathering of people and police cars around a storefront.

They walked over to see what was happening and quickly realized the problem. The window was shattered into pieces that covered the sidewalk. Police tape covered the shop and there were signs of damage on the inside. Detectives on sight while the officers kept civilians out.

"Wow."

"Hey!" Ruby came up to the border of the scene and got the attention of one officer, "What happened here?"

"Robbery." He didn't seem to pay much attention to them as he was more focused on stopping people from snatching any photos, "Please move along! This is an active crime scene!"

"God," Yang looked at the scene, "This is just awful."

"And once again they left all the cash."

The Beacon students overheard what one detective said to the other as they looked in through the shattered window, "Small miracles I guess? Although that would be a lot more comforting if this wasn't the second time this has happened in a week."

"All these robberies, B&amp;Es, all the Dust gone, and no money stolen." One of the detectives let out a heavy sigh and scratched his head, "Who the hell needs that much Dust?"

"Could be someone is stocking up for a turf war?"

"You think it's gonna be more fallout for Wilsk's vacuum?"

"Don't even bring it up." The other detective groaned, "I'm still getting crap from the chief after he escaped on our watch, just to get killed by some other gang across town."

"Does he threaten to hang you by your toes too?"

"More like silently drag his finger across his throat before pointing at me."

"Well at least he ain't verbal with you."

"So, who do we think?" One offered aimlessly while examining the scene again, "White Fang?"

"Don't know why they'd get involved. But ya can't deny how active they've been lately." His shoulders sagged before walking off, "If the White Fang are actually getting involved, then it's about to hit the fan."

"And that's saying something when with all the stuff that normally happens here, more stuff can hit the fan."

"The White Fang?" Ruby and Yang shared a look before turning back to look at their teammate.

Weiss' eyes had narrowed into a very contemptuous glare that actually worried the sisters greatly. She noticed their expressions and huffed before turning away, "The White Fang. No surprise there," She walked off, "Criminals just being criminals, committing evil deeds when they can." Her voice was very low saying that as they followed, "No surprise there."

"Weiss-"

"They're not all criminals."

They all stopped and looked back at Blake in surprise. The bow-wearing girl was standing firmly in place with an unflinching look in her eyes. Weiss turned back to face her, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean not all White Fang members are evil. Some of them are just misguided."

"Misguided?" Weiss scoffed which ticked Blake off more than she showed, "Is that what we're calling it now? Terrorizing people and trying to kill all humans is just labeled as misguided, huh?"

"They don't want to kill all humans," Blake retorted with bite in her voice, "They just want equality for Faunus."

"They have a funny way of doing it."

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Yang got between them and immediately felt the glares they were exchanging send a chill through her back, "L-look, the cops weren't sure who did this. Maybe the White Fang had nothing to do with it at all?"

"T-that's right!" Ruby came to Yang's aid and tried to quell the tension growing between them, "Do you guys remember that jerk I fought before coming to Beacon? Trochwick or something? Maybe he had something to do with this!" Ruby's expression fell and she cupped her chin in thought, "What if he did?"

"Yeah! See, that could be the reason!" Yang pulled them back into focus with an uneasy chuckle, "So let's not worry about the robbery now, okay?"

"This has gone a little further than just the robbery-"

The terse discussion came to an abrupt halt as several boat horns echoed through the streets. The Beacon students remembered why they came down in the first place and made a quick run for the pier. They came to a stop at the railing and looked out over the docks.

"Whoa!" Ruby smiled, "Awesome!"

Hundreds of students were flooding out of the boats and up into the streets. A sea of hair colors, skin tone, and different clothes formed together into one big flood of people coming off the docks.

"There are more of them than I thought." Weiss noted in astonishment.

Yang squinted her eyes, "No one's in uniform. What's that about?"

"Shade doesn't have uniforms." Blake helpfully stated as she continued watching the Vacuo arrivals.

"Wow." Ruby stumbled back as she was shaking from excitement. Or was she shaking from nervousness? Either way she was shaking! She took a moment to catch her breath and watched them pass down the street.

"So this is the City of Vale! It is truly a glorious place to hold such a wonderful experience like the Vytal Festival! As commemoration, how about we stretch our legs and run around the city for a few hours!"

"Okay champ, slow down. We just got off the boat so at least take a second to breathe."

"I can't do that! As upperclassmen, it's our duty to show our underclassmen we can take this new city by storm!"

"As upperclassmen, we shouldn't look like idiots in front of the underclassmen by running around like headless chicken."

Oh, that was an older team from Shade? They may have been older but they acted just like her team. That was so cool! That excited one in the front, the two following him and trying to calm him down, and one more trailing behind.

One with red hair and little ears sticking out from the follicles.

Huh...

She...she wasn't sure why...but there was something about the last member.

He sorta felt...kinda like...

They must have noticed Ruby's gaze because they turned around to look back at her-

"Get that Faunus!"

Everyone's attention turned back to see a commotion happening on one of the boats. Sailors were gathering around before a figure leapt off the boat and landed on top of a light post.

"Sorry about that!" The young Faunus on the fixture apologized with a grin and wave of his hand. He had spiky blond hair and a monkey tail sticking out from his lower back. His skin was a fair tan and the shirt he wore was open to reveal his well-defined chest. The tail reached into his back pocket and plucked out a banana before dropping it into his hand, "And sorry about the bananas! You guys should bring more supplies next time! I almost starved!"

"You ate a whole box of 'em you stupid stowaway!"

"Stupid stowaway?" He leaned back until he was hanging from the light post by his tail while snacking on the fruity treat, "I was apparently smart enough to evade you guys! What's that say about you?"

That got a few laughs out of the gathering crowd. The detectives came down to the pier and walked out to confront the monkey, "Okay kid, enough fun and games. Drop the banana and get down here."

He followed their demands. In the loosest and most rebellious way possible but technically he still followed them.

The banana peel dropped and slapped straight in the middle of one detective's face. And he jumped down to land behind them before darting down the pier, "Sorry! But I didn't come along just to see the inside of a cell! I got places to be!"

The crowd actually started cheering while watching the monkey Faunus run from the cops. He passed a few of them, sharing high fives and waves of support before making his way further down the street. And finally passing Team RWBY...

He turned to look at her for just a moment. He smiled and winked before sprinting past like a wild animal. The cops called out, passing them as well as they gave chase.

"Um...should we...follow them?"

"Quickly!" Weiss announced as she started running, "We must follow!" The rest of Team RWBY suddenly sprinted over to follow their friend as they chased the Faunus and cops. They lost sight of them around some corners, having to rely on sound instead. And when the sounds faded, they had to rely on instinct. And when instinct pushed them forward-

Weiss finally ended up running into someone in the street.

"AH!" The heiress crashed into something as they fell into a heap on the sidewalk. She heard the others come to a halt behind her as she looked around for their target. Nothing, "Ah, they got away! We'll never find them!"

"Uh...Weiss?"

Weiss finally realized what had happened and looked down at the freckled, smiling face mere inches away from hers.

"EEP!" Weiss leapt up like a frightened cat and stumbled back into her team.

"Salutations!" The strange girl greeted them from the ground with the same smile on her face. She had curly orange hair coming around her head and a pink bow tied behind it. Her green and black blouse mixed with overalls and a pair of stocking going up to her skirt. She continued to smile and wave up at the girls standing over her, "It is very nice to meet you!"

Team RWBY shared looks of bewilderment before Ruby spoke, "Um...hi?"

"It is such a beautiful day, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Hey," Yang pointed down, "Are you gonna get up at all or what?"

"Oh yes, I suppose I should!" She leapt back up on her feet and faced the girls with another smile.

...

"Oh, allow me to introduce myself!" She gleefully remembered and smiled, "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet all of you!"

"Um, h-hi Penny." Ruby stepped forward, "My name is Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Like did something crack when you fell over or," Elbow to the rib, "Right, Yang, sorry."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet all of you, as I said!" There was an upbeat, almost sickeningly sweet enjoyment in every word she said, like she took honest joy from even getting to experience this uncomfortable awkwardness between them all right now.

Weiss took noticeable discomfort with her peppy attitude and leaned towards Yang, "You might be onto something with her hitting her head. She just - ow!"

"Weiss!" Ruby turned to her partner in worry when she saw the heiress rub her arm gingerly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. That collision just hurt more than I expected." Weiss arched an eyebrow at the odd girl, "You're surprisingly sturdy for such a thin girl. Are you made of metal or something?"

"What? No - *hiccup* - don't be silly. That's such a strange joke. So unconventional and quirky. But very funny. A real gut-buster. Oh what social commentary. You truly are a jokester. Hahaha."

...

Okay.

After that very unnerving little outburst, Team RWBY slowly started to step back. Deciding to continue their chase by taking the scenic route, "Um, sorry Penny, but we've got to get going." Ruby explained before waving goodbye, "We'll see you later, okay?"

Penny blinked and tilted her head curiously.

When they rounded the corner there was a collective sigh of relief. Weiss shook her head, "What a weirdo."

"Yep, definitely a screw loose." Yang nodded, "I mean if she thinks you're a jokester then she'll probably need a whole toolbox to fix her problems."

"Hey!"

"What did you say?"

RWBY stopped in horror when they saw Penny standing in front of them now. Most of them wondered how she cut them off without them noticing as Yang backtracked, "O-oh God, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to hear that! I-I mean I probably shouldn't have said-"

"No, not you." Penny weaved between them until she was standing in front of Ruby, the shorter girl leaning away out of fear before the new girl asked, "What did you say earlier?"

"U-u-u-u-um, wh-what do you mean?"

"That you would see me later?" Penny repeated with some honest intrigue as she leaned in closer, "Meeting up with someone in the future implies further social engagement. Further social engagement implies comfortability and possible friendship-"

"Well that was a reach."

"-Does that mean you want to be friends with me?" Penny looked like an excited child as she took Ruby's hands, "Can we be friends?"

"Umm..."

Her team's message seemed clear. There was a lot of head shaking, crossing of arms, mouthing words, and even the surprise sign that said 'NO' in big red letters. But...

Her eyes! Oh no, was this the puppy dog eyes?! Were they finally coming back to bite her after years of prolonged use?!

Against her better judgement...

"Sure," Ruby nodded as her team toppled over, "We can be friends."

"That! Is! Sensational!" Penny started jumping with joy as Ruby joined in, mostly because her hands were still locked in the excited girl's grip. When she finally let go, Penny was shaking with glee, "Oh this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to do all the normal girl things with my new friends!"

"Friend." Blake clarified.

"Singular." Weiss noted.

Yang pushed Ruby forward into Penny's sight.

"Can you believe it Ruby?" Penny asked her with a huge smile, "We'll paint our nails! And try on cute clothes! And talk about cute boys!"

While Ruby was still experiencing buyer's remorse on this new friendship, she had to admit it was nice to hear someone suggest doing the things she thought about to make friends, "R-Really?"

"Oh yes! However I don't know how to paint nails! And I don't know how well I can choose clothes! And I don't know many boys! So I will be relying on you for most of the input!"

"Oh...yay." Ruby looked back and wordlessly pleaded for someone's help to buffer.

Her beloved older sister mustered a sigh before stepping forward, "So - uh - Penny, whatcha doing around here? New to the city?"

"Oh yes, I'm quite new." The odd girl enthusiastically answered, "Especially considering I just came for the Vytal Festival tournament."

That got their attention. They looked at her in shock, "You? You're coming for the tournament?"

"Absolutely!" She saluted with her smile never ceasing for an instant, "I'm combat ready!"

"I'm honestly surprised." Weiss looked her over, "Forgive me, but besides your surpassingly strong stance and core, you do not look the part of a fighter."

"Looks can be deceiving." Blake shrugged, "I mean you're wearing a dress."

"It's a combat skirt!"

"Yeah!"

High-five!

Blake and Yang shared a befuddled look before the blonde asked, "So, are you coming in from Vacuo too?"

"No." The orange-haired girl politely replied, "I'm arriving here ahead of time from Atlas."

"Really?!" Weiss perked up and seemed to abandon the bubble of space she had formed between her and this strange girl, "You're from Atlas as well?"

"Yep." Penny nodded happily, "Made and raised!"

"It's born and raised."

"That too!"

"Well then as two Atlas girls, it's our duty to help each other out when we can." Weiss easily convinced the gullible girl like a puppeteer pulling the strings, "You agree, right?"

"That makes sense to me!"

"Good!" Weiss looked Penny in the eyes and requested, "Did you see two officers come through here a moment ago? They were most likely chasing a degenerate Faunus."

"Degenerate?"

"Yes." Weiss nodded, "Tall, had a tail, probably reeked of bananas and whatever swarms around in the underbelly of society. Did you see him?"

"What was that?"

The heiress looked back at Blake to see the peeved look in her eyes while glaring at her, "What? I'm trying to see if she saw him?"

"You called him a degenerate." Blake repeated before looking annoyed by her choice of words, "Why would you call him something like that?"

"Maybe because he is a degenerate? Or a delinquent? Ruffian?" Weiss elaborated, "I can go on."

"Don't! Why would you just label him like that?!"

"Label?! Did you not see the same thing I did?! Him illegally hiding away on a ship for a free ride here? Is that not the act of a criminal?!"

"It doesn't have to be malicious! What if he just couldn't afford a ticket to come over here and could only hide away on a ship?! Did you ever consider that!"

"Oh yes, and I'm sure the mocking, stealing food, and running away from the police were also a part of some little tragic story too! Or, just maybe, a blatant disregard for the law and order! Just watch, he'll probably commit a few more little discrepancies, sneak around to get some extra cash, and then he'll be a part of the White Fang soon enough!"

"W-Weiss-"

"And what does that mean?! That it doesn't take much of anything to turn a Faunus into a criminal?!"

"Blake-"

"Well it certainly doesn't seem like they try that hard to avoid that outcome."

"I-I can't believe you!" Blake threw up her arms and stomped off, "You are such an insensitive, insolent child!"

"How dare you!" Weiss slammed her boots into the ground as she marched over to match Blake's gait, "I am your teammate!"

"And a spoiled, judgmental brat as well!"

Weiss' gasp and follow up caused their argument to rocket out of control.

Ruby and Yang watched sadly as their partners' dispute started to escalate. The siblings shared a concerned glance before looking back at their friends.

"This isn't going to end well."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The city was nice and quiet. That was definitely a plus. His head felt cluttered enough without the booming volume of kids celebrating the end of the semester.

He should have been celebrating too. The first semester was done. Finals were all over. He was mostly sure he got good grades on his exams. And he was visiting his father for the two week break.

And yet...he felt the same as he did the entire week.

Not angry or upset just...

There was a term from the exam that defined this.

Ennis? Ennui? Austin?

Whatever. Point was he wasn't enjoying the last week like he should.

The tension between their team wasn't angry or violent but it was just...there. They still talked. Conversed like normal when they needed to. But more often than not they just sat together in silence. He noticed Tenten look drained every now and then. Kiba was more silent about the matter then he expected him to be. And Sasuke was still in his slump.

It wasn't supposed to be how they left things off.

Naruto sighed, shaking his head and remembering he was taking this walk to clear his mind. Came down to Simple Wok to get a few tasty bowls of ramen before enjoying the quiet.

"Oh man!"

Spoke too soon.

Naruto looked back to see a monkey Faunus round the corner and come running towards him. The stranger noticed him and dug his feet into the ground to come to a halt. The blond monkey looked around desperately, "Oh man, they are way faster than I gave them credit!" The monkey finally noticed Naruto standing by him, "Oh...hey man."

"Um, hi?"

"Where is he?!"

The monkey looked back before sighing, "Uh, sneaking on a boat was definitely not the best idea. Neptune's gonna chew my ear off. Hey man," He got Naruto's attention before rounding the corner, "I went this way, alright! Tell them that!"

What the-

"Hey you!" Naruto turned back to see two detectives run up to him. They stopped and gasped for breath before struggling through, "H-have you see a kid come through here? Faunus? Open shirt?"

Naruto silently pointed in the direction the monkey had run. The cops thanked him before resuming their chase.

...

"Thanks man." The monkey slipped out from the alley and let out a sigh of relief now that he wasn't being chased, "Those guys were relentless."

"And why were they chasing you?" Naruto felt compelled to ask. Depending on the answer, he might have to get ready for a fight.

"Oh, a huge misunderstanding." The other Faunus groaned before pointing back the way he came, "I snuck on a boat from Vacuo to come here. I'm here for the festival and I thought it would be fun if I came early but I was not ready for that whole trip stuck in a boat's storage. I mean like I ate a ton of their supplies! Their water! I snatched blankets from the cart and used their bathroom when they were out! It was a huge mess."

"Wait," Naruto quirked an eyebrow, "Why did you sneak on? Shouldn't you have just come over like the rest of the students?"

"Can't. I'm not from Shade. I'm from Haven!" He stuck out his chest and pounded it with a fist full of pride.

"So...why is a Haven student sneaking on a boat with Shade students? I mean maybe the map changed, but last I checked aren't you guys really, really far apart?"

"I was visiting family." He clarified while stretching out his muscles, "There was an opportunity to come see this place ahead of time and I took it."

"So you're from Mistral, visiting family in Vacuo, saw the Shade kids were coming over on a boat, thought it was a good idea to sneak on and arrive days ahead of Haven, but then realized hiding in the storage of a boat sucked, and then the moment you arrive you piss off the cops?"

"Yeah...pretty much sums it up." He was silent before laughing and shrugging his shoulders, "That's why I'm not my team's strategist." His stomach started to rumble, "Hey, do you know any good places to eat around here? I'm starving!"

Naruto looked at him with a dry expression before the bandana-wearing boy sighed, "There's a diner two streets over that has some pretty good food. A cafe a few blocks over. And I just came back from a noodle place over there. It's small but the bowls are delicious."

"Sweet! Thanks man, Faunus gotta stick together, right?" He didn't notice Naruto's surprise as he held out his fist, "Name's Sun!"

The fox looked at the monkey in absolute bewilderment. His bandana was still around his head and he was sure no one could see his ears. But this guy...

Naruto sighed, giving up on trying to think it through and just knocked his fist, "Naruto."

"Cool! Thanks for the help Naruto!"

Sun dashed past him and down the street to get some food. Naruto decided his walk was probably done and just started making his way to the transport. Time to head back to Beacon.

"Wait, I don't know where I'm staying either. AH, I REALLY SHOULD'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH!"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto made his way back down the hall as a yawn slipped out. He smacked his lips and spotted his dorm door. He reached out to open-

"Y-you're admitting it! You're admitting that the White Fang are terrorists!"

"I said their leaders are aiming to terrorize people! I didn't say it like all of them can be considered terrorists and you know I didn't!"

Blake? And was she arguing with Weiss?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"It's baffling to me that you of all people can be this blind!" Weiss babbled as she attempted to wrap her mind around how this argument was still persisting, "You're smart! Probably even more knowledgeable about political situations than I am! So how can you look me in the eyes and tell me the White Fang are not a terrorist organization?! After everything they've done!"

"Because I know the reasons they do what they do!" Blake voice was sharp and loud to match Weiss', "Faunus equality! The terrible conditions some of them have to work in just to live their daily lives! The treatment they get in places across the world! They're making sure Faunus aren't treated like second-class citizens!"

Yang and Ruby were both sidelined during the argument. They had long since realized it was futile to engage in the conversation and try to act as mediators. They sat down and watched, hoping the argument wouldn't escalate too far, and flinch whenever their partners screamed.

"Oh, don't paint them like freedom fighters! Like heroes!" Weiss yelled with distaste at how Blake was imagining them, "They're not doing this for the benefit of anyone! Making people afraid and miserable isn't the answer to equality! They aren't heroes by any definition of the word! They're pure evil!"

This time it was Blake's turn to look at Weiss patronizingly as she shook her head, "No one is pure evil! People have reasons for doing what they do that motivates them! Even the White Fang have a reason, even if you can't understand it!"

"That's not an excuse!" Weiss' pale face was going red with anger, "Having a cause doesn't excuse the horrible things they've done! At least he could understand that much!"

"Who?" Blake asked as the others looked at Weiss questioningly. The heiress seemed to reel back from the looks she was getting before it hit Blake, "Did you talk with Naruto?" They looked at Weiss in shock and even more surprise as she didn't deny it, "What did you say to him?"

"I..." Weiss took a sharp breath, "I told him I didn't want to speak with him again."

"What?!"

"Weiss!"

"Of course you would come to that decision! Did you decide you never wanted to talk to him after you found out he was a Faunus?!" Blake started to bristle with anger as she started again, "Do you honestly believe Naruto is pure evil?!"

"Well at least he understands that there isn't an excuse for hurting people like that!" Weiss tried to keep her ground.

"So are you going to stop talking to Sasuke as well?! The Uchiha kidnapped and attacked us as well! Hurt us! Or are you going to give him a pass because he's human!"

"I-I-"

"Before you decide who to judge and who you believe to be evil, you should try to understand them!"

Weiss was silent after Blake's last point as the others looked at her. But instead of the angry huff or retort they were expecting, the heiress slowly narrowed her eyes, her icy blue eyes steeling over, "No. I can't." She shook her head, "I'm sorry. If you can sympathize with the Faunus and White Fang then I suppose you're better than I am. Because I can't...and I won't."

Her voice was reserved compared to her furious yelling a moment ago, but the others noticed the edge and bitterness in her tone. Weiss glared down, "Five years. That's how long it's been since the White Fang changed their way of finding 'peace'." Her meaning was clear to them even as her eyes remained focused on their floor, "In the beginning they demanded attention. They made themselves known and heard. They stole shipments of our Dust. Forced everyone that worked at our sites to leave while they ransacked it. They stole entire trains to take the Dust or give it away - I don't know what they did. But it got the SDC's attention. I never stopped hearing about how angry the people around me were. It never stopped."

Weiss clenched her fists and grit her teeth, "And then it just got worse. The managers and supervisors that used to be released were captured and turned into examples. The trains were no longer being hijacked but just - just destroyed with bombs or broken rails. Members of our board started to disappear. People I knew...just disappearing without a trace. Blood was being shed. I saw people I recognize disappear and unfortunately I was old enough to realize what had happened to them." She turned around to face the window as she looked back up, "My father was furious. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for so long that the times I did all blurred into one long outrage. It was very, very difficult to grow up with that realization."

The rest of Team RWBY listened to her story with their shock clearly on their faces. Blake blinked, losing her voice as she saw Ruby and Yang share a look of concern. Ruby stepped forward, "Weiss-"

"But it wasn't enough. They hadn't gotten back at the SDC yet. They hadn't made my father regret everything he had ever done. They wanted to make it personal. So they aimed at his daughters." Her shoulders hiked up as her voice started shaking, "My sister just took them in stride. I don't know how she could be so strong but she pushed on. Had better things to do. But me? I was scared. Hearing them scream my name out in hatred. Threatening to make me suffer all the pains and indignities they had to live through. Vivid details about how they would hurt me and leave the remains on the steps of the SDC, so my body would be the first thing my father sees before going to work." Her shoulders stopped shaking and her voice had a small crack in it, "You like scary stories, right? Remind me to tell you about the details they go into about hurting me. It can leave you sleepless at night, believe me."

Oh...oh god. She...she didn't know all that.

But that didn't...

"Weiss." Ruby stepped forward, a hitch in her voice as she was terrified to hear what her partner endured just because of her name, "I didn't-"

"Well that's the truth!" They jerked back when she spun around, tears brining her eyes as she glared at Blake, "That's why I hate the White Fang! Because I know what they're really like!"

No. No that wasn't true. They didn't...she-

"They'll lie to convince themselves they're doing the right thing, just so they can feel better when they murder and torture people!"

No. No that wasn't her! She knew they weren't all like that! She was just here b-because-

"That's why I have a hard time trusting Faunus who act like that boy did! Because he would just become another person just like them if he continued! And that's why I can't trust Naruto! Because no matter how sorry he is, I still imagine him being apart of the people that want to kill me!"

He wasn't - a-at least she thought he wasn't - they weren't-

"So that's how!" A tear came down before she yelled, "THAT'S HOW I KNOW THE WHITE FANG ARE PURE EVIL!"

"WELL WHAT CHOICE DID WE HAVE BUT TO FIGHT BACK!"

...

Wait.

She - she didn't-

Did she just yell that?

Blake looked back up to see Weiss staring at her in shock. Her heart started to pound harder before she looked over to see Ruby and Yang stare at her the same way.

N-no.

Don't look at her like that.

She wasn't a part of it anymore.

That wasn't her.

But then why did she say that?

Her mind started to spin.

Her breathing started to become raspy.

S-she-

She dashed out the door.

"Blake! Blake wait!"

She heard Ruby call out to her but she ignored her! She ran through the hall! Through the dorm! Her legs carried her as fast and far as she could go in one quick burst! She wasn't sure if she was being followed because she couldn't think straight. She just had to run.

Before she knew it she was outside.

Her legs finally failed her as she came to a slow stop and held her knees to catch her breath. Even if she wasn't exhausted her heart was beating so rapidly she desperately needed to breathe. She swallowed the lump in her throat before standing back up.

The courtyard.

She had run so fast out of the dorm she ended up in front of the school. She looked around the courtyard before her eyes fell on the statues that proudly stood outside the entrance. The black-clad Faunus started making her way over without even thinking about it. She stopped in front of it and looked the stone figures over.

A man and woman standing atop a raised platform. Weapons in hand and a proud, unwavering form that did not falter before any challenge. Hunters. Huntsmen and Huntresses. Heroes and models for all ages, before they ever had a label. No matter what your race, your position, or where you were born, this was the dream of so many people.

And right beneath them was a monster being crushed by the slab of rock. A Beowolf. It was a symbol of the evil of the world. The Grimm. Their constant enemies. That was obvious.

So why was it when she looked at this statue she felt sad? Like she knew where she stood in that statue, and it wasn't basking in the light of glory and honor.

Weiss' words rang fresh in her mind. Everything she said still bouncing around with such ferocity.

She wasn't a part of it anymore. She had left the White Fang so long ago. So why did she feel the need to defend it like that? Didn't she leave because she didn't like their methods anymore? How they were starting to change. So why did she argue like that?

Maybe because...because when Weiss said those things, that she imagined herself being the worst of them. All those years she spent with them, good and bad, and all she had to show for it was fear and regret. That she was still...

Her hands drifted up to her head and grabbed the strings of her ribbon. She slowly started to pull them apart before her ribbon laid across her palm. She looked back up at the statue as her ears twitched after being freed from the confinement.

She had been looking forward to the day she could remove her bow at Beacon...

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"So that's what they look like."

Blake flinched and spun around in a panic when she heard the voice behind her. Naruto of all people was standing just a few feet behind her. She caught her breath, covering her heart in relief before looking back up at him, "W-what are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I overheard you guys." Her eyes widened as Naruto looked around nervously, "When Weiss came to see me I tried to tell her to give Faunus a chance. I thought it would help when you...well if you were gonna tell them. But now..."

Blake bit her lip in anger before looking back at him, "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

The fox didn't answer her as he slowly walked towards her. Blake tensed up, her mind racing through all the possibilities. She wasn't thinking clearly. Expecting just about any course of action. That he might even try to attack her crossed her mind-

"I'm sorry." Naruto hugged her as Blake went stiff in his embrace. The black-clad girl was stunned by this action and looked at him while still in his arms, "I'm so sorry."

"N-Naruto?" Blake started squirming in his hold as she was uncomfortable with the close contact, "What are you doing? There isn't time for this!" She shook, "I - I have...to..."

Blake slowly came to a stop and quit thrashing around in his hug. Naruto felt the usually cool girl tremble as he could faintly hear a sniffle and a stifled sob. He knew she probably didn't want to be seen like this now, not after what just happened with her team, so he didn't separate so she could keep her face hidden. Her arms refused to rise from her side but she took the chance to rest on his shoulder while she cried.

After a few moments he felt her stop shaking. He stepped back and saw Blake cover her face, wiping her eyes and trying to calm herself down while catching her breath. After she finished her hands fell and she looked up at him, her eyes clearly red from the tears and rubbing before she spoke again, "I...I have to go."

"Go where?"

"I don't know." She walked past him and started tying the bow back on her head, "But I can't stay here."

Naruto followed her, "Well where are you gonna go?"

Blake finished her bow, "I don't know."

"Then wait!" Naruto reached out and grabbed her arm before she could take one more step. She snapped back to glare at him and he just took it in stride, "Can you please tell me you have a plan? Somewhere to stay for - I don't know how long but until whatever this is can be resolved?"

'It won't', Was Blake's knee-jerk response. But she was able to keep quiet because she knew it would only freak him out if she said that. She pulled her arm out of his grip and sighed, "I don't have a place, but I'll find somewhere. I always do."

"Um, if you do, can you find me a place too?"

The two students looked over in surprise to see the blond monkey hanging from a branch with a sheepish grin.

"You!"

"Sun?!"

They looked at each other in surprise as the third Faunus dropped down from the tree to greet them, "Yeah, sorry about that. I came up here because I really wanted to see Beacon, but then I realized I still have nowhere to stay. Then I accidentally saw that cute little scene you two had over by the statue."

Blake groaned as Naruto palmed his face. He slowly dragged it down, stretching out his whiskers before looking at Sun dryly, "Why don't you rent a hotel or something?"

"Funny you should mention that!" Sun laughed innocently, "So I took your advice and tried out all those food places and they were all delicious! But I ended up spending most of the lien I brought for this trip. So...I can't get a hotel."

"..." The two Beacon students shared an unamused look before Blake commented, "You really shouldn't be allowed anywhere by yourself."

"Yeah I'm realizing that actually."

Blake sighed and started back down the path, "Well I can't offer you anywhere to stay. I don't know where I'm going either."

"Hold on..."

Blake stopped and looked back at Naruto who's face was twisted in irritation. He seemed to mull something over before with a sigh he looked between the two, "I...I have somewhere you can stay."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

He flipped the switch as the room was illuminated by a faint, flickering set of lights. The room, by every kind of definition, was in poor shape. The two couches had tears and holes all over them, and positioned in front of the couches was a drawer with a system on top of it. They could spot only one bed in the whole room and it was located in the corner, a spring and some stuffing sticking out of the side. And there was the unmistakeable sound of something scurrying over the floor once they arrived.

Naruto took a step in, his eyes heavy with having to see this place again, "Welcome to the hideout."

"Oh~," Sun sounded worried about the state of their temporary domicile as he faked excitement, "W-well it's a nice place. Got that - um - cozy lived in feel. Definitely out of the ordinary which is good. Um-"

"Stop," Naruto interrupted, "This place looks like crap because it is crap."

"Oh good, I was worried you thought this place was nice or something. I mean if this peaks your interests, what will your girlfriend think?"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"So...she's not your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"So you're single?"

Blake ignored Sun's attempt at flirting and stepped further in to look over the large room. It took up about two, maybe three stories of an abandoned building in the agricultural district, but there was only stuff located on the ground level. Nobody would come looking because this was just one building in a group of others that were scheduled to be torn down but never were. Supplied with energy from an independent generator that caused a ton of noise in the corner.

She looked back at Naruto with a raised eyebrow as he answered her curiosity, "This was the place me and Sasuke stayed while we were in Vale for that...other business. We would stay here a few days at a time before we had to move again. It ain't perfect...but it'll do."

"Nah, this is fine!" Sun jumped in and landed with a hard thump on one of the couches. His voice went up a pitch, "That hurt way more than I thought but I'm cool."

"You can take the bed in the back. Sun and I will take the couches." Blake stared at him before he narrowed his eyes, "As long as there's a chance you might take off, I have to keep an eye on you. Until you can go back to Ruby and the others."

She didn't argue or answer him. The black cat just silently turned around and walked over to the bed in the back. He watched her sit down and undo her ribbon before lying across the mattress. Whether she was actually trying to fall asleep or just brooding was lost on him.

"Oh sweet! You got a system!" The other tenant he had taken up was elated to see the drab little hideout had a game system to pass the time. One of the few things Naruto got to chose during the two years of thieving was buying that system so he and Sasuke could play it. He was glad to see it still worked, "Awesome! What games do we got?"

Naruto pulled out his Scroll and quickly started to type a message. An apology and a heads-up to his team. That he wouldn't be back yet, and he had to take care of something important. This was Blake's endeavor, and while he knew she didn't want to contact her team at the moment, he didn't want his team to fret about him anymore.

But he had to help Blake. Help her come back to her team. And maybe if she could find an answer...

He could find one too.

"Hey Naruto," Sun called out as he waved his Scroll in the air, "You wanna play versus? I'm wicked good in a fight!"

Naruto relented and strolled over to take the other couch. The two blondes started using their Scrolls as controllers and cycled through the characters.

Sun picked his and looked around the room once more before chuckling, "So, home sweet home, huh?"

"No. This ain't home."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Okay, first part of the answer dump that is the final arc.**_

_**Blake's lament. Naruto's confusion. Weiss' anger. RWBY's concern. NKTS' dissent. We're hitting it all.**_

_**Plus...and I can't believe I finally reached this point...Sun and Penny!**_

_**Yay!**_

_**They are so much fun to write for. So different. Sun is completely out of the loop but he's still eager to be part of the action. And Penny...my favorite little engine that could but does it awkwardly.**_

_**This is going to be sensational!**_

_**Get ready for the next super-sized chapter! Filled with action! Suspense! Drama! And answers!**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	42. Beauty of the Beast

Hunting or Bust

Dust 37: Beauty of the Beast

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Sunday.

Two days since she had left.

Blake slowly stirred awake by a myriad of different variables. Her nervous mind, the different bed, or the warm early morning rays on her face. But most prevalent was probably-

"And another. And another. And another. And another." Sun droned in boredom, "You're doing great."

"Y'know," Naruto pushed himself back up, "This would be a lot more helpful," He lowered and backed up again, "If you actually counted how many I've done."

"Sorry man, I tried." Sun apologized but not too ashamed about it, "I mean it sounds fine when I said I'd spot but I realized I'm just staring at you working out and...urgh. Not what I needed this morning." Naruto groaned before he finished his last push-up and sat down to catch his breath, "So I'm still wrapping my head around it. You need to do this for your physical therapy. And you need physical therapy because you just healed from the wicked scar you showed me. And you got it..."

"After being hunted by a group of people that took up the fight the Uchiha had years ago. Their leader cut my stomach and I was in the hospital for a week getting fixed up."

Sun fell back in his seat, "Man, this place is as crazy as I heard."

Naruto started to tie his bandana back over his head, "What have you heard?"

"A ton of stuff. Frequent robberies, fights busting out every now and then, and that crime boss got caught here a few months back, remember?" Sun recounted the stories and rumors he heard with a grin, "I was actually really excited because there was news about a few special people enlisting this year with crazy potential. Some rookies people started calling Beacon's 'Dirty Dozen'."

Naruto couldn't stop the scoff and strangled chortle that forced its way out. Sun glared, missing the joke the fox was having, "O-oh my god, that has to be the LAMEST nickname I've ever heard!"

"Hey I didn't make it. Blame the guy with bad taste who stuck the name on them."

"O-okay, okay, sorry." Naruto came down from his laughing fit and wiped his eyes of any tears, "Listen man, I don't know who started the rumor, but I think they're playing the other schools. I mean I don't know everybody in the first year but I haven't seen any group of people that fit that description."

"Seriously?" Sun looked so disheartened as Naruto shrugged, "Well that sucks."

"Sorry." Naruto felt genuinely bad for ruining the monkey Faunus' expectations. Knowing this guy for just a few days and Sun's enthusiasm was infectious. This whole experience was a lot more bearable playing games and slating the monkey's curiosity about Beacon.

Although Blake didn't seem to enjoy his constant attempts to hit on her.

Then again Blake wasn't exactly enjoying anything about this whole situation. Where she left off with her team. The fierce argument with Weiss. Revealing that she was a former member of the White Fang before running away. Naruto had tried to ask her if she wanted anything or to talk about anything, but she was silent. Either deep in thought, unresponsive, or refused to speak with him at all.

To be honest, Naruto still found it hard to believe. Blake...she was a part of the White Fang too. Were they in it at the same time? Did they ever meet? So many questions were rolling around his head but he knew it was nothing compared to the ones plaguing her.

What was going to be her answer when this was over?

The whiskered teen cleared his mind and stood up to stretch, "I'm hungry. Should we go get something to eat?"

"I'm game." Sun jumped out of the couch before throwing a thumb over his shoulder, "Think we should ask the sourpuss if she wants anything? I mean we haven't gotten much response but I bet the twenty-fifth time's the - oh, your up."

Sun flinched back when he realized Blake had snuck up behind him. She looked peeved at what he said before letting it slide and looked at Naruto, "I'm ready."

The first time she had spoken in days and he didn't understand.

"You said you would tell me your story when I was ready to tell mine."

Their first conversation together walking back to the sparring rings came to his mind. Just a few months ago but it felt much longer.

"I'm ready to tell you."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

**Sorry. I'll be back soon. Promise.**

Tenten stared down at the text from her teammate as the rest of her team sat around silently.

Kiba read something on his Scroll while Sasuke did his exercises to stretch out his hand. Of course she could just look at them and notice that they weren't even close to invested in what they were doing.

They had all been aware of the texts Naruto had been sending them since Friday night. Notifying them that he was dealing with something important and couldn't come back until it was resolved. They asked what it was, and he'd respond with an apology and no clear answer about what was so important. She was extremely worried that this was going to be another stitch in the pattern they had experienced lately, and another obstacle for their team to overcome.

But this time seemed different. He was staying connected with them by communicating while he was off doing whatever this was. It might not seem like a proper substitute, but Tenten was actually extremely grateful that he was doing this to keep them from worrying anymore than they had to. She was glad to see at least something had stuck with him after these last few missteps.

She was still worried. That couldn't be helped but what was troubling her most was just how exhausted she felt. She felt like she was running on fumes. Just when it seemed like they had resolved one problem another wedged them further apart. It was like being on a roller coaster and if she had to ride it one more time she'd be sick.

She just wanted things between her team to be right again. She felt like she was the only one on the team that gave a damn about it. Tenten knew she was panicking and that wasn't even close to the truth, but neither Kiba nor Sasuke looked particularly distressed at the moment. Maybe they were just better at hiding it than her.

She hoped Naruto was okay. He may irk her with the choices and secrets he hid, but he was still her leader and friend. And she didn't want that tension over the last week to be the thing hanging between them before the break.

She wanted to find him.

"Your face is scrunched up." Tenten blinked in surprise to see Kiba had spoken to her as he laid on his side. His brow raised, "What's going on?"

Tenten stood out of her bed with purpose in her eyes, "I'm gonna look for Naruto." She saw the tattooed boy's face twist into a complicated expression before trying to hide it, "Do you have something to say?"

Kiba rubbed his eyes before sitting up, "I think you're wasting your time. He's contacting us and telling us he's coming home. There's no point in chasing after him if he's coming back."

"I'm worried about him." Tenten declared with narrowed eyes, "Kiba, I understand if you're angry at him, but he's still our friend. We can't give up-"

"I didn't say I gave up. I'm pissed but," Kiba interrupted her before shaking his head, "You don't stop giving a shit about someone just because they fucked up." The Inuzaka sighed tiredly, scratching his chin before looking up at the stick-user, "I have a gut feeling that if I see Naruto again, I'm just gonna say something that stirs up the argument again. And that...ugh, makes my head hurt."

"I know." Tenten could empathizes with his frustration, "But we don't have time for that. I want to make sure Naruto isn't in trouble. I don't know what this is about but I need to at least know he'll be okay."

"Yeah, I get you." He scratched the back of his head but stood out of his bed alongside her. She smiled, happy to know that despite his grumpiness, he was totally on board to help their friend, "It'll probably be a whole other experience to see what the reason was this time."

"It's not a game."

She and Kiba looked over in surprise to hear Sasuke joining their conversation. But they were both taken aback to see the scowl on his face while looking over at them. He quickly stood up as well and shook his head angrily, "We aren't playing a game. We don't keep these secrets from all of you for fun. We don't tell them because they make us sick."

Kiba shared a look with her before stepping forward, "Sorry man, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know you're frustrated. You expect so much out of us and I'm sorry we haven't reached that expectation." Disappointment twisted the Uchiha's face, "You've done so much for us by giving us a chance and accepting us despite what you know. So you're right, we should feel ready - even safe enough - to tell you our secrets but we aren't. Because every time we think back on them we're terrified and disgusted by what could have happened. Naruto doesn't like thinking back to his time in the White Fang because he wasn't himself. He betrayed his morals, his dreams, his instincts, his future, and every fiber in his being that knew what he was doing was wrong. He took up a cause he didn't believe in because he wanted to save someone. And me?" Sasuke's head lowered and his hands clenched into fists despite the injuries, "Do you know how close I was to becoming a killer? Someone just like Itachi and the others? How close I was to taking a bloody and unforgivable path down life? Literally one inch away before I realized this wasn't what I wanted to do."

Sasuke looked so lost and confused, trying to make them understand his point of view. He opened his mouth to say something else but Tenten didn't give him the chance. She interrupted him by walking in and embracing him fast enough that the next words died in his throat. He initially froze in her arms but quickly his shoulders went slack and he looked down at her.

She pulled back and looked up at him with a sad, apologetic smile. She felt her eyes sting before she spoke, "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm so sorry we never considered how you felt about it. How hard it was...to remember and think about it again. But you're right." She wiped her eyes for good measure before looking back up at him, "I freeze too. When I remember my secrets...the things I'm too afraid to bring back up. You might not believe it...but I think I feel just like you do sometimes."

The sound of footsteps stopping beside them and she knew Kiba had joined their side. She looked at the stern expression over his face before his hand grabbed Sasuke's shoulder in support. He looked surprised by the action before Kiba nodded, bereft of words but hoping his intent was clear.

By the wave of ease that passed over his face, and the look of gratitude that replaced it, Sasuke understood.

The Uchiha took a deep breath and looked between them, "If you still want to find him...I don't know where he is, but I know a few places we could look."

They smiled, "Thank you."

Just then a rapid knocking shook their door and filled the silence. Tenten quickly went over to the door and opened it up to see her little hooded friend on the other side, "Ruby?"

"Hey Tenten." It was impossible not to notice the lack of energy in her voice as she forced a smile on her face. She gave a little shrug, "Do you mind if we ask for a favor? If you see Blake come back to the room, can you call and tell us?"

"Blake?" Tenten and the others looked out the door to see Yang wave at them and Weiss silently stand by the wall, "Did something happen?"

"N-nothing too bad." Ruby lied unconvincingly, "She left a few days ago and she hasn't contacted us. We think she's okay, but we just want to go look for her."

"What happened?"

Weiss looked annoyed at the question as Yang stepped up, "There was an argument. It ended pretty messy, and Blake left before we could clear things up. She left on Friday and hasn't come back-"

"Friday?" The remaining members of Team NKTS looked between each other before Kiba raised an eyebrow, "Friday night?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

Tenten stepped out of the room and looked at Ruby, "And what were you fighting about?"

"Um...well..." Ruby buckled, nervously looking down before back up at her, "You aren't gonna believe it."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Okay, ready to talk now?" Sun inquired as he leaned back in his chair, "We've had brunch. Had some soothing tea and cream. And I've been waiting on the edge of my tail since you talked about telling stories an hour ago!" He sat forward in his chair and looked between his fellow blond and the attractive black cat, "Now can we please get to these stories you were talking about!"

Blake didn't appreciate his eagerness at exchanging their dark pasts but she had to agree they had saved it long enough. She looked over at Naruto to see him nod in agreement before she sighed, "Sun, do you know about the Whtie Fang?"

Sun laughed, "Are you being sarcastic? Of course I've heard about them! Pretty much everybody in Remnant knows about those assholes!" He waved his hand around with abandonment, "Biggest jerks in the world! They go around, attacking people, saying its for the good of Faunus everywhere, but they're just dragging our good name through the mud!"

Blake and Naruto exchanged a dry look before the whiskered boy sighed. He scooted his chair over closer, "Sun?"

"Yeah?" Naruto beckoned him closer and the monkey did so. Naruto started whispering in his ear as Sun nodded, "Uh-huh...okay...yeah...the both of you...actually members...and I just...right." Sun sat up, looking nervous about what he said after learning the truth as he chuckled, "Well...I guess I got egg on my face, huh? Except I wasn't the ones who joined a terrorist organization in the first place so~..."

Blake glared at him for the joke at their expense.

"Oh don't pout. I was kidding."

"I'm not pouting. I'm glaring at you."

"Well someone tricked you growing up because that ain't glaring. It's pouting."

"Sun," Thankfully Naruto was there to stop the silly argument before Blake lost her cool and started clawing at the monkey's face, "Can we continue?"

"Right. Sorry." Sun opened the table back up to them, "Proceed."

Blake scrunched up her nose before calming herself and leaning on the table. Her eyes softened and focused down on her tea before she spoke, "A long time ago, before the White Fang was ever a group that resorted to violent means to get their message across, they were a peaceful protest group formed in the ashes of war. They joined together with sympathetic humans groups to advocate equality and peace between humans and Faunus, despite the promise that there would be such peace after the war ended. The White Fang stood up as a voice for the Faunus. Their powerful ideals and words taking form to find peace between everyone. And I was a part of it."

Naruto and Sun's eyes widened in surprise. Naruto looked at her in disbelief, "You were part of the White Fang when it was still a protest group?"

"That's right." She nodded as she only looked up from her cup for a moment, "I was basically born and raised in it. I remember holding picket signs more than playing with toys."

"I forget sometimes that it was originally a protest group." Sun scratched his head, "It felt like ages ago."

"It wasn't. It was only five years ago that the protest groups switched out their signs and banners for swords and guns." Blake closed her eyes, "I still have a hard time believing we changed so quickly in such a short time."

"And...how did that happen?"

"New management."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"Another failed protest! Another day of us getting run out by bigoted humans!" A moose Faunus yelled in anger as he spiked his sign with enough force to break it, "I'm sick of this! Sick and tired of being ignored!"_

_"Stop complaining!" A hamster girl admonished the volatile man as she supported one of their friends on her shoulder, "If you have enough time to yell then help carry some of the others in. We have injured!"_

_More disgruntled and injured protesters filled the warehouse as they decompressed from their most recent blunder._

_A young 12-year old with black and purple ears coming out of her long but dirty hair looked around the floor. The anger brimming in some peoples' eyes. Others clutching bruised arms or bloody foreheads._

_She couldn't remember how many of their protests ended in familiar scenes like this. Some were successes and even garnered important attention. But some ended like this. And with varying degrees of severity._

_This last protest was particularly bad._

_"Mr. Hiruzen." Blake turned back to the old monkey as the elderly old man had taken a seat to catch his breath. His long tail swayed from his backside as his wizened eyes turned to her, "You need to say something! Speak to them!"_

_The old leader wiped his forehead of sweat before looking back at her, "I know Blake. And I will my child." His voice was soft and his expression did wonders to ease her concern. He stood up with a little effort, his age showing as it took a moment for him to collect himself. _

_The primate leader of the White Fang stood up on a crate and announced across the wide room, "Everyone! Your attention please!" The murmuring across the room came to a steady halt as they turned to look at the old man. Hiruzen looked around, "I know how you must feel. You must be frustrated beyond words, but now is not the time to find reproach. We need to prioritize helping our injured and collecting ourselves. That should be our focus right now."_

_"No, Sarutobi! No it shouldn't! It should be how we're going to have our next rally without any threat that a group of humans could come and run us out!" One of the protesters stepped up and voiced his displeasure, "I thought you got the green light from the city! So why weren't there any police there to guard us during the rally?!"_

_"I...I'm not sure."_

_"Because they don't give a damn! We're never gonna get through a protest if we keep getting interrupted!" There were a few murmurs and yells of agreement as the man stepped forward, "I've told you before, we can guard the rally if you'd just let us bring some-"_

_"No weapons!" Hiruzen denied him immediately, Blake flinching behind him from the sharpness in his tone as he adamantly denied the request. The old monkey shook his head, "We will not bring weapons into our rallies."_

_"Why not?!"_

_"Because things will escalate if we do!"_

_"You don't trust that we can handle it?"_

_"No! I believe if you bring fire, the people that have stood against us will answer in kind! Our arguments will devolve into pointing weapons! We'll be lost in a haze of red and panic! And if even one person fires on either side, our protests will change into bloodbaths and everything we've been fighting for will be lost! So there will be no! Weapons! Understood?!"_

_There was a hush over the crowd as their leader's voice echoed off the walls. The angry Faunus backed down, intimidated by Hiruzen's fury as Blake looked up at him in surprise. His tail lowered behind him before he spoke again, "We are trying to break a cycle of hatred. Years of misunderstanding and cemented points of view that some people were raised to believe. This is not a simple task, and it won't get easier by arming ourselves to make people listen. Violence...violence will not make our goal easier to reach."_

_"You've gotten so old and yet you can still be so naive. You never change, Hiruzen."_

_Blake gasped and turned around. Hiruzen turned as well and the crowd looked over at the two newcomers standing at the entrance. They were all initially wary that they had been followed by a group of instigators but they quickly noticed that the two were Faunus as well._

_But they were still hesitant to have here because they arrived wearing strange Grimm masks to hide their eyes and features._

_The young man was only hiding his eyes, horns sticking out of his red hair with a black sheath in his left hand. His other held a briefcase as he stood beside his associate. The other man appeared to be much older, wrinkles forming over his exposed skin with split, ragged black hair with rodent ears hidden in them. He had a crossed scar over his chin, and his right arm was exposed to reveal the myriad of scars and damaged skin that ruined it, and a briefcase in his hand._

_Blake watched with baited breath as the older man reached up to his mask to remove it. He pulled it off to reveal the deep scar that had taken his right eye as a knowing smile stretched his mouth, "Hello again, Hiruzen."_

_"Danzō!" _

_Blake had never heard the fear and desperation that filled his usually easy voice before. She saw his eyes narrow as he growled through his teeth, "What are you doing here?"_

_"That's a silly question. I've come home."_

_"Mr. Hiruzen, who are-"_

_"Get back!" Hiruzen jumped down from his crate and pulled the young girl back. He stared down at her as she felt frightened by his sudden change, "Do not go anywhere near them, understand?" She frightfully nodded as he marched up to weasel Faunus that had found their base of operations. Danzō smile didn't falter as Hiruzen grabbed his collar and threatened, "Leave. Now."_

_The red-haired boy reacted when Danzō's collar was grabbed, as he caught Sarutobi's wrist. However with surprising speed and grace, Hiruzen grabbed the hand that had restricted him and pulled, lifting the red-haired bull off his feet and throwing him through the air._

_The bull Faunus landed in a crouch near her, Blake stumbling back out of fear as the strange older Faunus lifted his head and growled. He placed the briefcase down and reached for his sword-_

_"Adam. Don't." Danzō spoke firmly. The old man shook his head, "We aren't here to fight each other."_

_The young man now identified as Adam took a deep breath and slowly stood up._

_Blake cowered in fear, afraid and unfamiliar with this level of tension that was so thick it was nearly palpable. She looked back over at Hiruzen, hoping that he could shed light on this strange turn of events but he merely focused a glare towards the man named Danzō._

_"Who," Someone else in the crowd stepped forward, "Who are you people?"_

_"My name is Danzō." The scarred man replied as he stepped forward, maneuvering around Hiruzen to address the people, "And I was once a member of the White Fang like all of you."_

_"You were banned! Exiled!" Hiruzen yelled, "You never tried to honor the ideals of the White Fang!"_

_"I tried." Danzō's response was softer, but it was still loud enough for them to hear, "I tried to honor the ideals and ways you picked up, but I couldn't." His face twisted as he looked down at his scars, "Not after I was captured by humans, and tortured as an example. Just because I was a Faunus."_

_"You're wrong!" Hiruzen denied, "That's a lie!"_

_"Hiruzen didn't want to believe it. He believes we can still coexist with humans. That there is some fundamental virtue in all of them that wants to live together in peace with us. But he's wrong. They have lived in fear of us since the moment we came out of the dark. And no matter how much you protest - how much you try to help them - that fact will never change. They will always resort back to fear and hatred. As long as they are afraid of what we are and what we can do, they shall continue to undermine us and consider us as inferior. Which is why, in the time I've been gone, I've found the true answer to getting our rights."_

_Blake didn't speak but her curiosity peaked. He...he had an answer? A solution to all of this? Sarutobi's face was panicked and frightened, looking back at her and the crowd. She didn't want to dissappoint him but..._

_"H-how?" Someone in the crowd finally asked as they stepped forward, "How do we do it?"_

_Danzō smiled and dropped the briefcase by his feet. He slid it across the floor and to the feet of the protesters. They bent down to see inside, opening the latch and peaking in. One of them gasped as they grabbed the contents to show everyone._

_Guns. Collapsible batons and swords._

_"Protests will not work." Danzō spoke, stepping forward as everyone looked at the case of weapons in surprise. Some started to pick a weapon and look it over before the old weasel continued, "They will never stop seeing us as inferior beings. And they see us like that because they know the truth. That we are superior in every way and form. We are stronger. We are faster. We have more determination than any of them. We are more capable. The Faunus are strong. Proud. And we shall stand high. If they want to see and treat us as monsters..."_

_Adam slammed the briefcase he was carrying on the crate and opened it up for all to see. Inside were dozens of Grimm masks lined from top to bottom._

_"Then let's show them we can be monsters."_

_..._

_Some people stepped forward and took a mask. Weapons were held more firmly by their side. People still looked confused and afraid, but it looked like they had made a choice._

_"Don't do this." Hiruzen implored Danzō. He desperately turned to the crowd, "Everyone, please, this isn't the answer. There won't be peace from this. This will perpetuate the cycle."_

_"A cycle that can't be broken. One that has existed longer than any of us." Danzō offered, "But with this...we'll make them change. We'll make them see us. Because actions speak louder than words."_

_"What about you?"_

_Blake looked up at the redhead bull that had approached her. He held out a Grimm mask as she nervously looked up at him. She could barely see his eyes through the mask as he spoke, "Do you want to keep failing, or do you want to change the world?"_

_It wasn't conscious. She didn't know whether it was a reflex or if he forced it into her hands or if she actually took it. But in the end she had a mask in her hands as she silently stared down at it. _

_Maybe...maybe this could work?_

_It didn't have to be for long._

_Just for a start._

_Maybe...maybe she could change the world._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake's eyes closed and she came out of her focus. She looked back up at the boys sitting with her to see they were completely silent. She sighed before taking a sip of her tea, "The White Fang changed forever with Danzō Shimura's influence. He arrived when we were most vulnerable. Playing on our fear about how much we could actually do to change people's view of Faunus, he gathered us together and turned us into a militia. Within a few days, he had completely changed the White Fang."

"I didn't know it was just one guy." Sun was amazed in a strange manner as he ran a hand through his hair, "I knew something must've changed their minds but one guy? And I've never even heard of him."

"He keeps out of the public eye. Uses other people as scapegoats and makes sure he's never revealed as the mastermind." Blake's eyes narrowed with anger, "He's a twisted, psychotic, monster of a man. And I followed him for so long because I believed the White Fang was actually making a change."

"Hehe."

Blake looked over to see Naruto chuckle before it faded into just a small smile, "I should have known. You were with the White Fang since before it changed. You...you did everything because you believed it was for the sake of Faunus. To improve human relations." He looked back up at her with something akin to admiration, "You've been trying to help people."

"And for a long time I was failing." Blake reminded him but he still seemed to look conflicted as his eyes drifted down, "I remember you told me that you didn't believe in the White Fang or what they were did."

"That's right. I never did since they changed."

"So why join?" Sun asked the question on both their minds.

Naruto was quiet before with a heavy sigh his shoulders slumped, "Do you guys...know about the 'Red Death'?"

"A little, yeah." Sun nodded, "They're like the leader of the White Fang, right? They convinced a lot of people to join the White a Fang through some weird, voodoo cult style, right?"

"She's played up by Danzō as the new leader of the White Fang. But she's just another scapegoat. A figurehead." Blake cleared up as she remembered the usually silent, mysterious woman hidden behind a Grimm mask, "She suddenly appeared one day and became one of the new leaders of the White Fang. No one knew who she was. He'd bring her to rallies and faction meetings for new recruits to meet. He played her up as the key to our victory. I never saw the sessions myself but I heard weird things. How she'd change form in the blink of an eye and become something else. Whatever she is, she's the reason so many people joined the White Fang now."

"She's my mom."

Blake flinched and Sun choked on his drink. The two scrambled to recover as they looked at Naruto like he had grown a second head. Sun stuttered, "Y-Y-your mom?! Your mom is the leader of the Whi-"

Blake covered his mouth before he could scream it out for everyone to hear. Sun's arms waved around as she just looked at Naruto in shock. His face didn't change from their weird outbursts so he wasn't playing them, "Are you serious?"

"Kushina Uzumaki. That's her real name. The enemy of the world and the 'leader' of the White Fang. And she's my mom."

Sun finally calmed himself and Blake removed her hand as he reeled back from the bomb Naruto had dropped, "Holy shit. That's crazy."

"I heard she had a son in the White Fang but he died." Blake remembered the story Danzō and Adam had told the masses about an incident that had happened at one of their bases a few years back. Rumors were passed around but no one seemed to pay any attention to them for long, "That...was you?"

"Yep." Naruto nodded, "That was me."

The blond monkey let out a strangled cough before looking at him, "So your mom decided to join the White Fang and she brought you along to help?"

"Not exactly. You're wrong about her wanting to join the White Fang. Four years ago, she was forced to join."

"How?"

"The same way the White Fang changed in the first place." Naruto's eyes narrowed as his hands clenched into fists, "The same bastard that ruined our lives."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Naruto laid across the roof of the building and soaked up the sun. The soft blow of wind tickled his ears enough to shake his hair. He was tempted to close his eyes and just float off to sleep._

_"Hey kid! Get off my roof!"_

_The fox rolled his eyes and sat up on the tiled roof of the small shop. The old owner of the goods store was glaring up at him and waving his fists, "You do this every day you brat! My roof ain't a suntan booth! Get off there!"_

_"This is like the best place to get sun in the whole town." The thirteen-year-old defended his stance as if that was a viable argument for why he was using his roof to be lazy, "I'm not hurting anybody."_

_"You're hurting my business! People are always staring up at you!"_

_"No they aren't. They look up here because you draw attention. Don't say anything and they'd never notice me."_

_"That's it! I'm callin' the cops!"_

_Let him. That was always his solution and Naruto always ducked out before they even got close. He just laid back against the roof and enjoyed the few more minutes of peace he'd get before running._

_"Hey! Hey! You need to get out of here!"_

_"Do you see that delinquent on my roof?! I have every right to beat him off there with a bat if I wanted to!"_

_"You can't! Not to a Faunus! They're here!"_

_"Who's here?"_

_"The guys from the news! W-we gotta hide!"_

_Naruto's eyes opened again and he looked over the side of the roof to see the owner had been pulled away. The whiskered Faunus looked around and noticed a lot of people were running into their homes to hide._

_Why did he say they couldn't do anything to a Faunus?_

_Just then Naruto noticed a small group of people walk through the town. He only spotted them for a moment before they ducked around another corner but it was long enough to catch the sight of a roaring beast slashed with claws._

_White Fang._

_Fear gripped Naruto's heart as he remembered all the terrible stories he heard in the news about their actions over the last year._

_Why were they here?_

_What did they want?_

_Panic filled his mind and Naruto knew he had to get back home. He dropped back down into the street and ran into the forest to hide in the trees. He used the forest to conceal himself as he sprinted through the shadows to make it back home. _

_After about a minute of sprinting as fast as he could, Naruto finally spotted his house again thought the trees. But he saw some figures standing just outside and as he got closer-_

_"I warned you, don't come any closer!"_

_"Kushina, look how much you've grown."_

_"H-how did you find me?"_

_"I've gotten quite a lot of extra reach with the help of the White Fang. Just a little bit of looking and I was finally able to reunite with you."_

_Naruto came up to the bushes and saw his parents outside of their home, his father shielding his mother from the group of people as she looked uncharacteristically terrified. The men in question were dressed in the White Fang uniform, their symbol on the vests and most of their faces hidden behind masks. But unlike the rest of them there was an old, almost scrawny-looking man in front addressing his parents._

_The scarred old man looked at his father before chuckling, "My goodness, Kushina, I never believed you would end up with a human. There was a time not too long ago where you hated them even more than I did."_

_"And who's fault was that?" His mother spat back viciously at the stranger._

_"Yes, and I had such high hopes for what we could accomplish together. Fortunately I found a new charge that I was able to raise just as well as you. His name's Adam. And I hope you two can meet very soon."_

_"What are you talking about?" His mother asked while the scarred man chuckled._

_"This is it, Kushina. This is the moment we've been waiting for. To turn the world on its head and show the humans just how much greater we are than them." He looked back at the subordinates he brought along, "There are people that believe in this cause. We've already changed so much in the last few months and we've barely gotten started. We can still do more...but we just need someone to follow."_

_His mother's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No."_

_"We're doing this for the benefit of Faunus everywhere. This is what we have been waiting to do for years. This was what you were born to do." The old man offered his hand, his father tensing up as he continued to shield his mother, "We can fulfill our destiny."_

_"No!" His mother finally stepped up to the old man, her red hair whipping behind her as she bared her teeth at him, "This isn't my destiny! Or our fate! You're not a leader! You're just a deranged, psychotic old man that manipulates people like play things!" She turned to the goons behind the old weasel, "He's not doing this for any of you! He hates humans and wants to make them cower in fear! That's all you are to him! A means to an end! Tools! Don't you see that!"_

_The other White Fang members didn't seem to care what his mother had to say. _

_"Kushina...you know this is for the best..." The scarred man lowered his hand to his side, "This is the right thing to do."_

_He started tapping a rhythm against his leg. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment before his mother suddenly went still. Her tail shook and lowered behind her as her whole frame shivered. Her eyes seemed to constrict and she looked like she was in pain._

_Was she-_

_The tapping came to a stop when a three-pronged knife was held just an inch away from the scarred man's remaining eye. The goons behind him reacted late and pointed their guns at his father who put himself between her and the weasel once again. He glared, "If you do that one more time, I'll take your other eye."_

_"My you are quite frightening," The old man patronized, not at all intimidated by the weapon in his face. The weasel finally looked at his father and spoke, "So what did you do to make her stomach you? A promise of happiness? Did you play the white knight? Convince her humans weren't so bad after all?"_

_"Stop. Talking." His eyes drifted over the rest of the White Fang members and they flinched under his gaze, "If you leave now, I promise not to hurt you. But if you stay...every one of you will be forfeiting your lives."_

_"I wasn't foolhardy in coming here just because I finally found Kushina again. My lieutenants and subordinates are all aware that I'm here. If I don't call them in a few hours, they'll come here and they will be far less polite in their introduction."_

_No!_

_Naruto wasn't sure what came over him but he burst out of the foliage to go to his parents' side. But when he got within a few feet of them, he froze as he realized the terrifying amount of tension between both groups. And the White Fang's intent was coming solely from that old man because the goons were sweating in fear._

_Their attention turned to him, stopping him in place as they pointed their weapons at him. His parents looked horrified to see him as the weasel turned. For the first time since he came, the scarred man seemed to show some surprise on his stoic face when he noticed Naruto. He looked between him and his mother a few times before a cold chuckle escaped his rough throat, "I'm genuinely surprised you were able to have a child."_

_"W-what does that mean?" His mother seemed to regain her senses, glaring at the old man in anger as she stepped forward, "You did do something to me, didn't you? What did you do?!"_

_"Nothing that worked, apparently." He stepped towards him, his mother and father calling out for him to run but he didn't hear them. He was frozen in fear, the old weasel stood over him and attempted the warmest, kindest smile he could with his black-hearted intentions, "Hello young one, my name is Danzō Shimura. I don't know if your mother has told you about me, but we are practically family. You could even say I'm your grandfather-"_

_Naruto reacted on instinct, stepping back and giving him a wide berth before the scarred old man was any closer. He stopped on the spot and lowered his hand, "Rude and no respect for your elders. You must really be Kushina's child after all."_

_"Get away from him."_

_"You may have really changed after all this time apart, Kushina. And that's commendable." He turned back to her, "But you still need to come to the White Fang. If you decide to run, we have more than enough resources and manpower to chase you. And if you hop from one location to the next, we'll keep burning those spots off the map as we follow. And when - not if - we find you again, I can't promise the safety of your lover or your child."_

_T-this man-_

_"But you know you want to be a part of this. Since you were a little girl, you've wanted to prove you were more than what people saw you. You wanted to get back at the humans that sneered and looked down at you, brushing you aside like unwanted trash. This is the right thing to do...and deep down...you know it is."_

_H-he was a maniac. He was manipulating his mother like it was second nature. His father was right to treat this man like a threat, and he understood why his mother was afraid of him. He wanted his mother's help so badly that he threatened to destroy villages and torture them if she didn't comply._

_Naruto was truly terrified of one individual for the first time in his life._

_"But think of it this way Kushina...you'll be helping people all around the world. For the right cause. Even your son." He smiled down at Naruto before he walked away and beckoned his subordinates to follow, "Don't you want your son to live in a better world? Not in this one where you had to grow up. Not in the same one that made me." He stopped before looking back at them, "Our Airship is by the edge of the town. We'll wait till sunset. I hope you'll make the right choice."_

_The weasel and his goons walked down the hill and disappeared from their sight. _

_"Naruto!"_

_He came out of his frozen stupor when his mother came running in and hugged him. His eyes were filled with her red hair before she grabbed his hand and pulled him in to their home. She frantically looked over him, "He didn't touch you, right? He didn't do anything to you, right?!"_

_"I-I'm fine." Even he didn't sound convinced by what he said, "Who was that guy?"_

_"We have to get you out of here." His dad muttered as he closed the door behind them and made sure it was locked. He went for where he kept his weapons and started searching, "We can head through the forests. With me we can get a few miles away in just a matter of seconds."_

_Naruto blinked, "B-but what about the town? That guy said-"_

_"I know what he said but we need to focus on getting away from them." His father found one of his Dust Knives and slid it into his pouch, "I'll drop you both off far away and then I'll come back to defend the townspeople. I'll get them out of here before any reinforcements show up and come back to you."_

_"B-but then we'll just be running!"_

_"It's all we can do, Naruto!" His father yelled, "This is our best chance!"_

_He was right. Even Naruto realized that. Run as best they could. Fight an army until they couldn't anymore. Or surrender. In the end, running was-_

_"Naruto," He felt his mother grab his shoulders and squeeze them tightly before she hugged him. He was almost suffocated from the sheer pressure she was squeezing him with before she pulled back to look at him. Her eyes were filled with tears as she muttered, "Go to your room."_

_"W-what?"_

_"I said go to your room." She stood up and his father stopped as well, seeing her expression as horror crossed his face, "I need to talk with your father."_

_Naruto realized what was happening, "N-no." He was still a few inches shorter than his mother but he grabbed her arm, "Mom you can't-"_

_"Go young man! Right now!"_

_Her voice cracked in the middle. He looked over at his father for help but he just nodded and motioned to the hall. Naruto looked between them, shocked that they would make him leave as he yelled and stomped off to his room, slamming the door behind him._

_What happened next was a few hours of negotiating, rationalizing, screaming, yelling, crying, and then silence from outside his door. Naruto never left his door as he pressed an ear against the wood to hear every word._

_His father's angry tirade and calling her out. Telling her she was being an idiot. She was being played._

_Her tearful agreement. But then she said that old man would make good on his promise. She couldn't live in a world where she got them both killed, let alone hundreds of innocent bystanders as well._

_Then he heard his father cry. Pleading with her to run away so she wouldn't have to be that monster's weapon. And then they just started talking so quietly that he couldn't hear them anymore._

_Naruto was finally tired of listening and not being able to do anything. He walked over his messy room and reached under his bed. Grabbing his short blade and securing it to his side where he could best use it. He snuck over to the window and forced it open before jumping out into the grass._

_He started to sneak through the forest to avoid the attention of any roaming White Fang sentry. He climbed up the side of the small buildings and leapt roof to roof to avoid any attention. He finally spotted the Airship they came in on, and saw the old bastard standing outside the ship like he knew it was just a matter of time._

_Naruto grit his teeth. Every second he had to look at this man was just another second he was pissed off beyond comprehension._

_He had to think about his next plan of action. Maybe he could sneak onto the Airship when no one was looking and hide on it? Wait until they were in the air before catching the scarred man by surprise with a knife to his throat. Threaten them to drop them off or leave the ship while he and his mom take it back home._

_It wasn't the best plan...but he refused to let this bastard get his mother._

_"You!" Naruto froze and looked down to see one of the sentries aiming their weapon up at him. He seemed to relax when he saw the fox ears and lowered his weapon, "Kid, get down from there and get out-"_

_He was cut off as several small arrows hit him over his body. Naruto jumped down on his head to floor him for good._

_This got the attention of several other members who heard the noise. He ducked out of sight and avoided their attention as best he could as they started looking. He dashed around their blind spots. Hid from from them as best he could before moving again. He evaded them for as long as he could._

_Before a gunshot and the searing pain in his arm made him fall. He immediately clutched his arm and felt a warm stream of blood coat his hand. He heard footsteps make their way towards him and looked up to see several goons and the scarred man surround him, the old weasel holding a smoking gun._

_The old man looked down at him pitifully, "I would have to commend your evasive skill for a boy of your age. But your stupidity and failure to plan ahead detract from any praise I could muster for you."_

_"Danzō."_

_The scarred man turned around and Naruto finally noticed that his mother had arrived as well. His eyes widened to see her covered in a cloak of red Aura. The lighter shade of red around her eyes narrowed as her stretched out arms constricted and wrapped around the White Fang members. They looked down in panic and screamed as his mother's voice leaked out, "If you touch him again, I'll crush them like twigs. And you'll be next, damn the consequences."_

_The man now identified as Danzō didn't even seem fazed by her appearance or threat as he sighed and turned to face her, "Calm yourself, Kushina, it's a flesh wound. I grazed him. I'm old but not rusty. I would have thought you'd activate his Aura consider the world we inhabit." This seemed enough to convince his mother as her Aura cloak faded away to reveal her worried features again. The hold she had on the goons vanished as they scrambled away while Danzō addressed him over his shoulder, "Boy, go back home. Patch up your arm-"_

_"Wait!"_

_He yelled at the old man to stop and the weasel did look back at him. Naruto stood back up, lowering his hand to reveal the graze on his arm was already patching up. Danzō took notice of his healing and chuckled, "So it really passed on to him as well. Interesting."_

_"You can't take my mom!" Naruto pleaded, "Please, you just can't!"_

_"Naruto-"_

_"No!" He wouldn't listen to what she said, "My mom isn't a part of this fight! This isn't her war-"_

_"It's everyone's war." Danzō said coldly as he slowly stepped up to Naruto. The whiskered boy found himself freezing under his chilly, unflinching gaze, "Do you understand how some Faunus have it in the world? How they've been treated? How humans treat them? They suffer while you have the fortune of having one of them as your father. Your mother is the key to this fight. What she did just a moment ago was our salvation eons ago, and it will be again. Millions of us will finally be freed from the hardships and treatment we've suffered for countless years. So let me ask you again, child," He looked down at him like he was worse than garbage, "Do you still have the gall to say she can't fight this battle?"_

_His throat had dried up and he failed to find his voice. Danzō seemed to take that as the answer he needed and started to walk away. He and his goons headed back to their ship while his mother stayed behind to see him._

_She approached, a strong look on her face to cover up the sadness and fear she was seeing. She was leaving. He was taking her away. Naruto couldn't do anything. _

_"Take me with you!"_

_His mother looked at him in horror as Danzō stopped in place. Naruto walked around his mother to glare at Danzō as he announced, "You're fighting a war, right? One where you'll need any many people as possible, right? So take me too!"_

_"No!"_

_"Really? One moment you plead this isn't her battle and then you ask to join it? You are quite audacious for such a young man." Danzō turned to face him, "Do you believe I'd accept your help when you don't fight for our cause?"_

_"I knocked down one of your guys and evaded the rest of them until you came in. And I'll get better." Naruto finally leveled a glare up to match the old man, "Do you want believers...or soldiers?"_

_"Danzō! Don't! If you do this I'll-"_

_"It's not your decision, Kushina. It's his. And it looks like he's already made up his mind." Danzō cracked a smile and headed back to the ship, "Come along. Let's get you ready to fight for our revolution."_

_Naruto finally took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Okay, at least now he'd be able to make sure his mother was safe. Dad could handle things until he figured out a way to help them escape. He turned around, "Mom, it worked. Now we-"_

_Her hand came across his cheek like a whip. He was stunned by her response and felt his cheek start to sting. He looked back up to see the look on her face. One he couldn't begin to understand._

_"You have no idea what you've done."_

_She walked past and into the Airship as he still reeled from the shock. After a moment he finally followed and stepped onto the Airship to see most of the passengers staring at him. His mother held her head down sadly as Danzō just stared forward._

_Naruto looked back one last time as the hatch closed and his home disappeared behind it._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Blake looked at her friend as he stared down at the table with a forlorn expression. She tried wrapping her head around it before looking back at him, "You joined...to help your mother?"

"For all the good it did." He droned, "I failed. She's still being used by that manipulative fucker and I can't do anything to help her." He closed his eyes and shook his head, "First time I tried to help someone...and failed in every way possible."

"Shit man." Sun finally spoke up as they looked to him. He fell back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair while his tail picked up his cup. He took a sip before shrugging, "Didn't think I'd be getting hit with the heavy stuff before the festival even started."

"I'm surprised you can still be sitting here with us," Blake said while her shoulders sagged, "After everything you heard."

"Well it's crazy, I'll tell ya that."

"So Sun, after all that, what do you think?" Naruto asked with a quirked brow, "Still wanna hang out with us?"

"Well it's weird hearing how you two got into it. Like origin stories but way, way more messed up." That was probably an apt comparison, but neither of them found the humor in it because it was their very, very messed up pasts. Sun seemed to think on it a little longer before just shrugging, "But the thing is even after hearing all that...I still see you two as good guys."

"Really?" That surprised them both.

"Yeah." He shrugged and sat up in his seat, "I mean you did it because you always wanted what was best for Faunus and humans. That's noble, right?" By that logic a lot of the members that still hung around since the old days could be considered good-natured too, but she knew they weren't, "And you were doing it for your mom! That counts for something?" All the peoples' homes he destroyed and havoc he caused were not excused because he did it for his family, "Plus look at you two! I expect the downtrodden, inability to smile look from Blake but even you look sad, Naruto. You two obviously feel bad for what you've done. If you try and do some good, help people out because you know it's right...that's gotta count for something, right?"

If only guilt was that simple.

Blake sighed and rubbed her eyes, remembering her argument with Weiss and the others again. She groaned, "I can't believe how much this spiraled out of control. Just because I started arguing with Weiss over if the White Fang committed petty robbery."

"I guess crazy stuff happens when two girls so set in their ways argue with each other, huh?"

She sent a particularly spiteful glare towards Naruto as a smile came back over his face.

"I just," She looked at her reflection in the last of her tea, "I wanted to believe that there was still something honorable in what the White Fang was doing. That even being led by corrupt people and resolving to use methods like that, there was still just some real meaning behind what they were fighting for. But if they've fallen to the point where they'll rob Dust stores for supplies...I don't know what I was fighting for anymore."

"That sucks." Sun grumbled, "It'll suck even more if they try anything with that Dust shipment coming in today."

...

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, this crazy huge Dust shipment. A few of the dock hands were talks about it the day my boat arrived." Sun sat up in his chair and counted off his fingers, "Dust Powder, Dust Shards, Dust Clumps - everything Dust is coming in for this huge shipment from the SDC for the festival. If there was any place to see if they're stealing Dust or not, that's the place."

...

Blake turned to Naruto as his face fell, "Oh god, it that what I look like when I have a bad idea?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Blake! Blake!"

"Blake, come on!"

"Naruto!"

"Dammit Naruto, I'm gonna slap you if you can hear us!"

Sasuke looked up from his Scroll and shook his head, "He's not responding on his Scroll. Something's different. Kiba, you sure you can't sniff them out?"

"I tried." Kiba groaned and covered his nose, "There are just way too many smells for me to find them in. I'm getting lost in the smell of food, exhaust, and whatever the hell else people decide they wanna do in the street!"

"That would be super nice right now." Ruby moaned sadly with her shoulders slumped. She looked back at him while they kept walking, "You were able to follow Weiss when she got taken in that limo back then, right? Why can't you smell them now?"

"Because unlike her, Blake and Naruto don't drown themselves in the richest smell they can buy." Weiss gasped and grumbled behind him, "Look I'm sorry, but you gotta learn to moderate. Akamaru was only able to hang out with you because you always scratched the best spots."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms while bringing up the back of their pack.

"Y'know Weiss," Yang said, "It might help if you actually called for Blake too."

"I'm sure if she was around, what you've been doing will be sufficient enough." The heiress deflected and ignored the concerned look her team gave her as she just looked around, "Blake's strong. I'm sure she can take care of herself."

"Well she might," Tenten admitted, "But I'm pretty sure we've learned that there can be stronger things in the city that can cause problems."

"Well then I'm sure her and Naruto can watch each other's backs."

Ruby looked back at her partner, "Weiss~."

"What? We all know it can't just be a coincidence they leave on the same night." They couldn't deny her when they also had similar ideas, "And both part of the White Fang. Did they know each other?"

"He never said anything before." Sasuke answered, knowing she probably meant it as a rhetorical question, "I don't think they knew about each other."

"Well," Ruby started leading their group back down the street, "I say we ask them once we find them!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "I'd say you shouldn't get your hopes up."

"I'd say it's a beautiful day and I'm glad to be spending it with my new friends!"

All six Beacon students jumped back in terror, clumping up in a ball to get away from their sudden seventh member. They stared at the happily smiling freckled girl, "Hello again, friends!"

"P-Penny?" Ruby stuttered, "What are you doing here?"

"I was out for a walk and I saw all of you traveling together, so I thought I'd come over and say hello. Hello!"

Ruby was pushed out of the clump to deal with the strange girl directly. She glared back at them in betrayal before laughing nervously, "H-hi again. Um - listen Penny, I'm sorry but we're kinda busy with this other things right now. We're looking for our friend Blake."

"Oh yes, I remember Blake." Penny nodded happily, "Are you playing hide-and-seek?"

"Um...something like that. She's hiding and...well we don't know if she wants us seeking."

"Well you should probably finish before nightfall. Faunus have a strong advantage seeing through the dark."

...

"Wait what?"

"Your friend, Blake," Penny clarified, "You won't have much luck hiding from her since her night vision works so well."

"Wait wait wait just a moment!" Weiss stepped up to the stranger girl, "You knew she was a Faunus?"

"Yes."

Yang joined in, "How could you tell?"

"Well the cat ears on her head were a clear indication" Penny plainly answered, "I thought she did a splendid job complimenting them with her bow." Penny fixed the bow on her own head and posed, "I do believe she and I share that fashion taste."

...

"Her bow-"

"-was covering-"

"-her ears." Weiss palmed her face, "And he wore that rag to cover his - is everyone in headwear just hiding their ears?!" She pulled on her hair, "How could I not realize that?! If this girl could figure it out, who else knew she was a Faunus?!"

Kiba and Sasuke shared a look before nonchalantly staring off in different directions.

"Weiss certainly seems frustrated. I believe I shall give her a moment to calm down." Penny happily skipped around the stunned girls and stopped in front of the other three, "Salutations! My name is Penny! It's very nice to meet you!"

"U-um, hi." Tenten was the first to introduce herself, "I'm Tenten."

"Kiba."

"Sasuke."

"Hello Tenten, Kiba, and Sasuke! I hope we will get to know more about each other and become good friends over the Vytal Festival!" Penny stated before turning around, "Ruby, I have just met two boys! Should I consider them for our cute boys discussion we'll have at a later date?"

"Her what?"

"Ah - Penny, maybe not talk about that right now!" Ruby pulled the girl aside with some effort before sighing, "Look, it's nice to see you again, but we're really busy. We have to find Blake and our other friend as soon as possible."

"Really?" Ruby nodded and Penny understood, "Okay, very well." Her eyes opened up and she pumped her arms with enthusiasm, "Then I shall assist you in your search for your friends!"

Ruby's eyes shrunk, "Oh - uh - that's really nice of you Penny but we - uh - we got it handled. Right guys?"

She turned around to see her friends and family had ditched her so she could deal with the awkward handful that was Penny. The young leader could only stare in shock at their betrayal as her hood fluttered in the wind and a tumbleweed bounced by them.

"I was not aware Vale had tumbleweeds. Intriguing." Penny noted before coming to Ruby's side with a smile, "So shall we proceed with our search, Detective Ruby?"

"Sure." Her head hung heavily as she dragged her feet, "Let's get looking, I guess."

"Sensational!" Penny followed behind her, looking around for any possible clues, "So why did you decide to play this game of hide-and-seek?"

Ruby sighed before turning to her, "Penny, we're not playing hide-and-seek. Blake ran away the night after we met." She gasped and covered her mouth while Ruby nodded, "Yeah. There was this big argument and some things were said and she's...she wasn't what we thought she was."

"Was she a man?"

"What?" Ruby looked at her strangely, "N-no, we didn't know she was a Faunus."

"You didn't? But wasn't it obvious?"

"Not to us." The younger girl muttered before walking again, "She told us that, and she freaked out, and then she ran."

"Are you angry with her?"

"No! I-I mean I don't think so." Ruby waved her arm, "Weiss might but she's been...I don't know. I get why they're both angry...but I don't want them to be angry too."

"Too?"

Ruby sighed, "We have another friend that might have tagged along with Blake. He's kinda having the same problem. But he's been deal with it for a week and...and he's been really sad this whole time." Ruby looked down sadly, "I thought I could cheer him up but I don't think I did a very good job."

"Why not?"

"Because he asked me for help but I couldn't help. He said it was okay but...I don't think it was." She scratched her head, "And now with Blake going through the same thing, I want to know how I can help her too. And my team. I-I mean maybe they did some bad things but...but I know they're both good. And they're my friends."

Ruby stopped and looked back at Penny, "I really want to help them."

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe you are a very kind, and very nice person." Penny said whole-heartedly as she gave the sad girl a big smile, "And I'm glad to have someone as nice as you as my friend." She grabbed Ruby's hands and squeezed them, "I promise to help you however I can with your emotional dilemma and to find your friends!"

Ruby looked at the strange, awkward girl in silence before a small smile finally came over her, "Thanks Penny."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

They walked into the abandoned building to see the deplorable conditions of the makeshift hideout. It was hard not to notice the damp areas of the unkempt building that bled through the walls.

A few of the teens looked at Kiba for confirmation as he stepped forward. His features changed with the activation of Feral and he raised his nose in the air. After smelling the room he looked at them, "They were here. Naruto and Blake, and somebody else I don't recognize. But they were here, and recently."

"What is this place?" Yang asked as she walked around the desolate room, noticing the wrappers and empty packaging for food around the couches.

"When Wilsk had jobs for us in Vale, we would stay in a hideout while waiting for instructions." Sasuke looked around the familiar room, "Didn't think he'd come back here."

"Why not?"

"During that whole time we were watching Wilsk and staking him out, we never used this place. Even when we were tired enough to pass out, we made sure to make it back to Beacon." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "We didn't want to come back here for anything."

Weiss was hesitant to touch anything for fear of contracting something, but made sure to note what she passed. The ruined state of the couches. The ghastly look of the walls and ceiling. How the only bed looked like it was taken out of a dump after going a few rounds with a junkyard worth of dogs. And of course, the strands of long black hair she found on the surface of that bed.

Did...did Blake prefer staying in a place like this rather than share a room with her?

Was she really that terrible to her?

"Okay, so they were hanging around in cockroach paradise." Yang spiked a can down and looked around annoyed, "We still don't know where they are."

"We just gotta keep searching." Kiba shrugged, "We'll think about some of the places they like to go and look there."

"What if they come back?"

"I'll stick around." Tenten offered, shuddering when she saw something crawl in the corner of her eyes before steeling herself, "Yeah, I'll wait here in case they come back."

"Weiss?" The silent heiress looked up to see her blonde teammate looking at her questioningly, "What about you?"

Weiss didn't give her answer as she looked around one last time. She closed her eyes and walked over by the bed, "If she comes back...I'll call."

Yang looked conflicted before accepting her choice. She walked to the door and beckoned the boys, "If you're slow I'm leaving you behind!" The two followed the boisterous blond out the door to continue their search.

Tenten maneuvered her way around the clutter and junk to sit at the cleaner of the two couches. She relaxed into her seat and looked back at Weiss, "I didn't think you would choose to stick around. This place doesn't exactly scream sanitary, am I right?" She expected a proud retort but was met with only silence. She looked back to see the white-clad girl daydreaming by the bed, "Weiss?"

"Hmm?" Weiss came out of her thoughts and sighed as she made her way over to Tenten, "I'm sorry Tenten, I didn't hear you." She plopped down beside the bun-haired girl as her diminutive stature sank into the dilapidated couch cushion, "I'm...I'm not focusing right now."

"You're thinking about Blake, aren't you?" It didn't take a genius to figure out what was bothering the usually proud Schnee.

The heiress' body tensed as she nodded, "If I didn't take a moment to gather my thoughts, I'm sure my head would explode." She rubbed her temples like she was trying to quell an impossible migraine before her light blue eyes turned to the older girl beside her, "I don't know what to do."

"Well, maybe you just need some time to think about it?"

"I've had time." Weiss said, an unfamiliar tone of defeat in her voice, "I've been thinking about this for days now! Every time I think I've come up with one solution, I turn around and reconsider it! I've done it over and over and over! And I...my head just hurts." Her head fell back against the couch, "I don't know what I should do."

"I'm sorry." Tenten apologized as she doubted her next move before reaching out to hold her shoulder in a show of solidarity. Weiss noticed her move and seemed doubtful before relaxing into it. Tenten consoled her, "I wish there was some answer I could give you but honestly, I'm still trying to figure this out too."

"I thought about handing that picture of Naruto over to the authorities." She knew Tenten had reacted to that because the hand on her shoulder stilled for a moment. Weiss continued to let it out, "I thought about it so many times that I nearly lost my mind. So in the end I opted to give him back the photo, but I said I never wanted to speak with him again. Since that day I've been thinking about that too. This situation with Blake feels a hundred times more confusing and I can't make up my mind." Weiss looked over at Tenten to see the sympathetic look on her face. The ponytailed girl was surprised that she wasn't glaring at her in hatred, "You aren't going to yell at me for making a decision like that with him?"

"No." She shook her head, "I mean I'm not happy with your choice but...but I understand why you made it." Tenten pulled her hand back and crossed them in her lap, "Weiss, I can't make a decision for you, or even make it easier. I don't think Naruto or Blake are anything like the White Fang we've seen or heard about. I don't think they would ever hurt us intentionally, but you need to decide. If you see Blake again and can't imagine working alongside her again, you need to say so."

She was right. This was her decision to make. Considering all the factors and motivations and reasoning would be too overwhelming in the end. It was hard...but simple. Could she work with her again knowing what she knows now?

Was she going to see her as a member of the White Fang...or as Blake?

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The night hid them well on top of the building while their vision let them see everything clear as day. Blake focused her undivided attention on the docks, waiting for any kind of movement. So far nothing, but she was ready to spend the whole night waiting.

"Anything?"

"No." She looked over at her fellow spotter and dryly pointed out, "You know, you could look for yourself and see if they come."

"You've got it handled." Naruto lazily denied her point as he kept staring up at the sky. They had been staking the docks out for awhile now, but no sign of the White Fang to be seen. They called their weapons over with their lockers, just in case, but so far it seemed like an unnecessary step.

She looked back out at the docks, "Are you sure they'll steal the Dust like you said?"

"We ran similar operations like this for Wilsk." Naruto started counting off his fingers, "Survey area and score. Incapacitate any guards that can get in your way(particularly unconscious to avoid raising any more attention). Secure goods. Wait for extraction." Naruto pointed back at the docks, "If they do come to take that much Dust, there's gonna be a lot of them." He waited before looking over at the girl beside him, "What will you do if it really is them?"

"I don't know." Blake admitted while focusing ahead, "I guess I'll have to admit that the White Fang I was a part of is really gone."

"I think it's been gone for a really long time."

"You never did believe in its cause," Blake turned to address him, "Did you?"

He shook his head, "I never knew them as the peace loving group working to help everyone. I only knew the group of cruel people, using my mom, telling me to scare people, and making me feel miserable every day I was there." He looked back at her, "I'm sorry Blake, but I'll never see the White Fang the way you do."

He sounded genuinely sorry for saying that as she looked back over the docks. A feeling of guilt filled her chest and she spoke, "I'm sorry for never coming to talk to you about it."

"About what?"

"Me. This. Everything. I should have come to see you in the hospital to talk with you about it all. I just...didn't know how. What I would say. If you thought I was avoiding you because you were in the White Fang, I'm sorry for making you feel like that."

"I was worried." Naruto said, making sure he didn't say it in any way that would make the cat girl blame herself or feel guilty again, "Then again, I came off as a total hypocrite after everything I said to you back then in the library, so I thought I understood why you didn't come to see me. Do you think we'd recognize each other if we ever met back then?"

"It's a big organization, Naruto. We don't meet with every single member when we can."

"Good point."

"I didn't know how to face you again when I was reminded of everything I was trying to move past." Blake looked down, "If I had to bring it back up again...I don't know how I would face my team."

"And now?" Naruto was curious to see what her answer was after all this time.

"I think I just have to ask them what they want. I know Weiss probably doesn't want to see me again, after everything that happened to her family because of us, but if she says she can't work with me...then I'll leave. I owe her that." She knew that probably wasn't the answer he was expecting, and she saw the concerned look on her face before she smiled, "Probably not the most hopeful answer, but I still want to thank you for watching out for me these last few days."

Naruto sighed and laid his head back against his arms, "I think we both know I didn't just do it for that." He closed his eyes, "It felt suffocating not telling them everything...because how would they react hearing my mother was the leader of the White Fang. And everything I did in the end was for nothing. I didn't know what they would say."

"But?"

Naruto chuckled before nodding, "But I want to see them."

Blake looked out at the docks, "I do too."

"I'm back!" Sun came running in with apples and pears in his arms, "Guess the fun still hasn't started. Anyone for an apple? Nice and fresh from another crate down the dock~"

Naruto sat up to take one as Blake quipped, "You think you wouldn't make the law so mad if you stopped stealing food?"

"Right~. And how many of us here weren't in the terrorist cult?"

...

"Okay, bad joke. My bad. Stop pouting at me."

"I'm. Glaring."

"Naruto, look at Blake and tell her that's pouting."

He turned and was immediately met with the full force of Blake's baleful stare. He just bit his apple and looked out at the dock, "I choose not to get involved."

"Coward."

"Uh, guys?" Naruto pointed out, "I'm not going crazy, right?"

Their attention turned back to the docks and they saw unfamiliar Bullheads lowering themselves into the open areas. They landed, their hatches opening as figures started flooding out around the docks. They immediately went to the SDC cargo, inspecting the containers with snowflakes on the side before barking out orders.

Sun watched them work, "Is that them?"

"Yeah. The White Fang."

The Grimm masks and uniforms with raging beasts and claw marks were unmistakeable. They scoured the area with weapons in hand.

Naruto looked to Blake to see her staring at the scene. He and Sun shared a look before asking, "You okay?"

"No." She didn't wait a moment before hanging her head, "No, I'm not."

"C'mon folks, move it! Move it! Move it! Move it!"

Blake's eyes widened and they all looked out to see a new figure step off the Bullhead. But unlike the others, this one was dressed much more flashy. A bowler hat and white suit as his cane clicked against the metal ramp. And of course, the fact he was human was strange as well.

The tall criminal whipped his cane around as he ordered the terrorists, "Stop spacing out and grab the Dust! As fast as we were, landing a Bullhead in this place ain't exactly the most inconspicuous of moves. So I'd like to get out of here before the annoying but useless cops start pouring in droves! So move your asses!" He watched his new associates move the goods before looking back into their ship, "So~, are you actually gonna help or just sit there and watch me boss them around? Because if you are tell me, I know some vernacular that will definitely get these guys blood pumping."

"No." The figure inside the Bullhead responded and stayed in his seat, "I'm here to observe, and make sure you don't flake on our deal."

"Me?" The vile gangster feigned shock before scoffing, "Like the guys in the freaky masks have any right to judge me. A little introspection can do wonders for your image, you know."

"That's," Blake sat up in shock, "Roman Torchwick!"

"That criminal from the news?" Naruto got a better look at the sleazy man directing the White Fang's robbery, "Why the hell are the White Fang working with a human?"

"They wouldn't." Blake growled as she stood up and pulled out her katana, "Not with a man like that."

"Blake?"

"Blake, don't do what you're about to - SHIT!"

She jumped off and landed between several containers. She ran towards the center of the docks and at the criminal mastermind.

Sun hung his head, "One hell of a woman."

"Dammit!" Naruto grit his teeth and looked for the closest point to drop from, "Come on!"

Blake hid along the storage containers and approached the center of the crime. She saw the orange-haired crook's back as he ordered them around, "Oh come on, I thought you were hard workers! I know a little girl that could put you all to - WHOA!" He froze with the blade suddenly coming under his chin as someone pulled on his collar, "Okay, surprise guests. This wasn't in the itinerary."

"Quiet!" Blake hissed as the White Fang dropped their score and aimed their weapons at them. Her hand went from Torchwick's collar to pull up one side of her bow to reveal an ear. They realized she was a Faunus before she spoke, "Members of the White Fang, what are you doing?! Weren't you once a force for Faunus equality?! A peaceful power for a peaceful cause?! So how could you become this?! Mere grunts of this filth!"

Her yell echoed across the dock, and the White Fang lowered their weapons for a moment. But they quickly focused back on her with deadly intent.

"Kehehehahaha." The vile crook in her hold laughed before looking back at her, "Oh Kitty, your info might be just a little outta date. See, the White Fang and I are in the middle of a joint business venture."

She pushed the blade further against his throat, "Talk!"

"We're expanding." Torchwick chuckled despite the threat, "As hard as it might seem to understand, the White Fang actually benefit from my help. When we're done, we're all gonna get what we want."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sorry," He smirked, "No more freebies."

Blake's focus was destroyed as well as her balance as an explosion went off directly at her feet. She was blown back and landed with a pained gasp as smoke filled her lungs. Her senses started to come back to her and she looked up to see Torchwick make his way through the cloud.

The smug crook spun his cane around his finger before aiming it at her, Blake finally noticing the end of the cane was a barrel with a reticle on it. She looked up at the man as he smirked, "Thanks for the surprise, Kitten, but we're sorta on a schedule, so-"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Roman looked up to see a whiskered boy charging him. He pulled two short blades out and started firing arrows from their hilts. The professional thief slipped the cane down his hand before expertly deflecting the projectiles, the arrows cluttering to the ground by his feet. When he knocked the last one out of the air, he chided the boy, "Gonna need to do a lot better than-"

"HA!"

Torchwick grunted as a dropkick came into his sternum and sent him flying away. He bounced off the concrete before fixing his hat and looking up. There was another blond with a monkey tail behind him, using the distraction Whiskers had made to catch him by surprise. He held his arms out, "You didn't finish! Was that better?"

Blake was still reeling from the attack but she was helped to her feet by Naruto. She looked up at his stern expression, "Next time, warn us before you do something like that!"

"Sorry." She sheepishly answer as she regained her composure. She saw Torchwick stand up and the White Fang members coming to his side as she grabbed her sheath as well, "I guess we have no other choice now."

"Nope." Sun agreed as he pulled out his sticks that connected into a red and yellow staff, "Looks like a working vacation for me."

"Okay," Naruto hooked some wires around his blades and pulled out _Stormer_, "Should go without saying, but don't die."

The White Fang started firing and Blake charged in front of her friends, blocking the bullets with swift strikes of her blades. She used Shadow to propel herself forward and sliced the barrels of the guns before they could react. Her katana shifted into a kusarigama and she leapt through the air, spinning and letting it extend out to strike those closest to her.

Sun spun his staff and jumped before bringing it down on one stunned member, knocking them off their feet. With blinding speed he pulled his weapon from side to side, jabbing the end of it into the stomachs of the terrorists before they could get closer. While they were doubled over, Sun dropped to a knee and swung his staff to sweep out their legs.

Some more White Fang members came charging at the kneeling monkey, brandishing swords to overwhelm him. But they were disarmed when small arrows went flying and struck their hands. The pain made them drop their sabers as Naruto ran in and vaulted over Sun's back. He landed a flying kick into the stomach of one before slamming the hilt in another's stomach, firing an arrow point-blank to force them back. He swung his blade out, the short blades sliding down the wire to create a vortex of silver as he attacked.

The three teens moved in tandem, striking and evading in ways to compliment each other and overwhelm their enemies. While the White Fang had greater numbers, the students outmatched them with sheer skill. Sun's staff blurred fast enough to leave them all wary, while Blake leapt down and disarmed them, leaving Naruto to slash and knock them away.

Torchwick watched, unamused as one of them fell by his feet, "Ugh, you know, I was expecting better quality when I upgraded to the Animal edition, but you're just as pathetic as the last goons." He opened his eyes to see Blake was making her way towards him with her katana and cleaver in hand. He chuckled and let _Melodic Cudgel_ slip down his hand, "If you want something done right..."

Blake yelled as she charged him, her blades swinging and clashing against his cane as the criminal matched her speedy movements. The cat Faunus started using her Shadow to propel herself forward, but the burglar easily fended her off even with her rapid disappearance and reappearance. He even started pushing her back, jabbing and kicking hard enough that she had to use her clone to protect herself.

One of his punches finally landed and knocked Blake off her feet. But Sun swooped in, swinging his staff down at Roman furiously as he was blocked by the cane. He pulled his staff apart and started swinging the nunchucks instead, firing blast after blast from the barrels. But Torchwick continued to guard himself, knocking the barrels away and diverting the fiery blasts before they were even close. Roman decided he had enough fun evading and fired a round at Sun's head when he got the chance.

The tailed blond dodged the shot and Torchwick thought he'd gotten the advantage, but Naruto came barreling through the shot to attack next. The crook clicked his teeth in annoyance and prepared for his next opponent.

Naruto's blades came down along Roman's cane, the long katana followed by seven short blades. The whiskered boy persisted, slashing and charging while the orange-haired thief got annoyed. Roman started pushing back, swiping and lunging at Naruto's head but to no avail. Naruto put some slack on his wire and spun around, the blades slashing along the concrete hard enough to make sparks fly before they came up at Roman's chin. He blocked the short blades and swung down at Naruto's crown but missed as the blond leaned back. But Roman smirked as he slammed the end of his cane on the ground and sent _Melodic Cudgel_ bouncing up into the blond's chin.

But his smirk faded as Naruto's foot came slamming into Roman's chin while falling back.

And then knocked off his feet with Blake barreling into his chest. Torchwick rolled backwards and caught himself before he went any further. He pulled his cane up and fired a shot, forcing the kids chasing him to dive out of the way as the blazing shot impacted into a container behind them. The well-dressed crook got back up on his feet and wiped his coat down, "Well~, who would have thought that fighting you brats could be so tedious so quickly?" The sarcasm dripping off his voice before turning to the Bullhead, "Hey, SuperSize! Since this is your job too, why don't you get out here and pull some considerable weight!"

The students looked between each other in confusion before they heard something heavy slam against metal. They looked over to see a massive figure descend from the hanger of the Bullhead. He was huge, well over six and maybe even 7-feet tall. He was dressed with the White Fang vest, but his undershirt was red instead. His mask was unlike the others, his jaw covered in a jagged design as his empty brown eyes stared down at them. He finally stepped onto the dock, dark red gauntlets with serrated black blades along the length of them. He had a shaved head, with long horse ears sticking out the top of them.

The three students stared up at the giant of a man as he stomped over to Roman's side. The ginger thief pointed at them and ran off to continue their robbery as the massive man faced them, "Faunus?" His arms fell to his side as his gauntlets activated and the blades started to spin rapidly, "Leave now, or I will promise you won't pass soundly."

"No!"

Blake changed her gun and started firing at the hulking figure as he raised his gauntlets to guard himself. Once the bullets stopped, he lowered his arms and narrowed his eyes. The air around him seemed to tremble before he dashed forward at blinding speeds. The three attackers dove out of the way as his fist hit the ground and blasted the concrete away.

Blake ran off to chase Torchwick as Naruto and Sun handled the bulky horse. The fox and monkey started striking the massive man, brining their blades and nunchucks down on both sides. Their weapons scraped off his gauntlets in a storm of sparks as he struggled to fend them off. Even with his massive frame and strength, he couldn't keep up with the boys' speed. They quickly realized their advantage and started circling him, until Naruto caught his foot with a wire and pulled him out of his stance.

Sun yelled and brought one end of the nunchuck down across his face, splitting open his lower temple as blood dripped over his vest. Naruto looked at the injury in shock as Sun yelled, "Listen dude, we got you beat! We got your legs and you can't win! Give up!"

The massive man only raised his head and glared up at Sun. He raised his arms and the boys watched in shock as they were covered in a milky white Aura up to his elbows. Steam burst off his form, the titan slowly standing up as his eyes focused on Sun. He kicked his leg and pulled Naruto clean off his feet, the wire slipping off as the bandana-wearing fox slid across the ground.

Sun looked up at the massive horse Faunus stalking towards him. The monkey spun his nunchucks around and started firing blast after blast. He blocked them all, his gauntlets still spinning underneath the Aura cloak covering them before he charged Sun. The monkey flipped out of the way and connected his staff together as the horse charged again.

Sun fended off the massive man as best he could, avoiding fists as much as possible as he struck his blind spots. He brought one end of the staff down on the huge man's temple but noticed that there wasn't an injury this time. The brute yelled and slammed his elbow into Sun's stomach to send him flying back.

The monkey Faunus clutched his stomach and doubled over, "H-holy shit, that hurt." He looked back up to see the hulking terrorist walk towards him as Sun reached out to grab his staff, "W-wanna give me a sec to catch my breath?"

The horse didn't bother to consider it as he pulled his fist back to strike. But he stopped when something collided into his back and made him stumble. He looked over his shoulder and Naruto had jumped on his back. He laid all seven hilts against the massive man's back and pulled their triggers, firing arrow after arrow into the horse's back with enough power to force him on his knees.

Naruto kicked off the man's head and landed several feet away before charging to attack again. The giant horse stood back up and let a heavy blast of steam spread off his body before charging in to meet Naruto head-on. He raised his arms and blocked the blades as Naruto staggered from the force behind his strikes. The fox had to avoid the punches as best he could, feeling the heat of the steam pass by along. He fired arrow after arrow at the horse Faunus but the massive man barely seemed to register them anymore.

What the hell was this guy?!

Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, bringing the swords down on the horse's chest as fast as he could. But the huge man brought his arms up and caught four of the blades in his gauntlets. The metal quickly gave in to the different directions of the blades and were shattered into pieces. Naruto watched in horror before the huge Faunus yelled and swung his leg into Naruto sending him flying into a container.

Naruto fell to the ground and spat up a glob of blood, his vision going fuzzy as he forced himself up on his knees. He craned his head up and saw the horse man get bombarded with explosions. Naruto was worried about how hard that last hit got him, because he swore he saw multiple glowing Suns start to rush the White Fang member and explode upon impact.

He looked over and saw Sun in a meditative stance, his staff across his lap as his hair and tail glowed. His hands were clasped together and his eyes were closed as more ethereal clones charged their huge enemy. The horse was staggered by these clones that forced him back before his eyes opened and focused on Sun.

Suddenly, Naruto felt something stir inside him.

The large man stood up as the white glow along his arms spread. His entire body was slowly engulfed in white Aura, blocking out any sign of what he looked like a moment ago. When he was done he was a pillar of white Aura, steam wafting off his body like an engine as he focused on Sun.

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized who this man was.

Strange Aura. He was injured and bled. The steam before he even started using his Aura.

Oh god!

"Sun!" Naruto clamored off his feet and sprinted as fast as he could. Sun continued to send clone after clone out to attack the Aura-clad figure but he merely stood his ground and defended himself.

Naruto felt his heart race, filling his ears with the sound of its beating as he pushed his legs as much as possible. He felt something twist and stir inside him. Something happen when he saw the man change into that form. The same thing that happened when his mother did it.

Something roar.

He pushed Sun aside, getting in the way as the Aura-clad man charged in like a train with a fist out to strike. Naruto saw the fist approaching, but he didn't feel it hit.

He blacked out and roared.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Roman deflected the swipe from the her blade and sheath as they separated, more White Fang ignoring them as they focused on loading the Dust. Blake focused on the greater threat as the crook sighed, "Okay Litter Box, I don't actually do this much fighting myself! I'm the savvy, suave, charming gentleman thief if my clothes haven't already pointed that out. I get other, nameless bozos to do the fighting for me."

"Are you sure suave and charming are the words?" Blake raised her weapons, "I'd say slimy and repulsive fit you better."

Torchwick narrowed his eyes, an obvious tick in his eye from her sharp tongue before he calmed himself. He fixed his hat and kicked his cane up to fit under his armpit before laughing, "So, while I'm enjoying this devilish dance under the sharp moonlight with the pretty kitty, you might want to go check on your boyfriends. I can't imagine they can be doing so well right now."

Blake didn't budge, "They're stronger than you can imagine."

"Well I'm sure that's cute and trustworthy and belief in friendship and blah blah blah," Roman chirped with exaggerated hand movements before smirking, "But I'm serious, that big guy's got more going on for him than size. Apparently he's some kinda leader or messiah or whatever for you flea-ridden psychos. Must mean he's pretty dangerous. Or that you should get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Or whatever, just go away."

"Don't try-"

Blake was cut off as something was sent flying through the container beside her and went careening into another container away from them.

"NARUTO!"

Her eyes widened as she looked through the hole created by the flying object to see a floored Sun and the horse Faunus clad in white Aura. She looked back at the other container to see it burst into a violent explosion of flame and ice and lighting.

If that was Naruto...then that meant...

Blake was overcome by a burning anger and roared, leaping through the hole to attack the huge man. Roman scoffed and prepared to continue their heist-

"HEY, YOU JERK!"

Oh great, more of them.

Torchwick looked up to see a familiar young girl with a red hood and scythe standing on top of a building by to the docks. Roman actually laughed, "Ohoho, hey Red! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to stop you from hurting my friends!"

"Oh well that explains it. They come in droves." He muttered under his breath before looking over to see the other battle had stopped once Ruby had presented herself. Roman chuckled and pointed at the burning container, "Well if you're here to save your friends, you're a little late! One of them is already getting cremated over there! Poor Mr. Whiskers!"

Ruby's eyes narrowed dangerously as she lifted her scythe up to attack. But she heard a shuffling behind her and remembered the companion that had tagged along, "Ruby, are those people your friends too?"

"Penny, get back!" She turned away for a second, but when she looked back she saw a sparking fireball flying towards her. She reacted, dropping _Crescent Rose_ and tackling Penny to the ground as the building's ledge exploded. Ruby yelled and moaned as Penny helped her on her side. Penny looked at her weary friend and narrowed her eyes.

"Ugh - P-Penny?" Ruby lifted her head and saw Penny approach the smoldering ledge, "Penny, what are you doing?!"

The odd girl looked back with a confident smile, "Don't worry, Ruby! I am combat ready!"

"Oh, now that's precious!" Roman stepped around the container to better spot their adorable new enemy. He looked back and laughed, "Han, why don't you show the brat why not to interrupt the big leagues." Han nodded and stepped forward, "Last chance, kiddy! Turn back now and-"

Penny squared her shoulders as a sharp blade flew up behind her, which immediately separated into a dozen blades. They floated behind her as she easily leapt off the building and landed on the ground with them, cracking the concrete but her eyes squared on their enemy.

Han's eyes narrowed as he charged the new arrival. And Penny answered by waving her arms, the blades gathering in front of her like a saw before it flew forward. Han guarded and knocked the swords away, but they stopped in the air and surrounded him. The massive Faunus swung at them the best he could but they maneuvered around him, avoiding his range as Penny made them dance. The young girl waved her hands around effortlessly and kept the massive man at bay.

Han had enough and barreled through the blades as he charged Penny at top speed. The quirky girl pulled her blades back and sent two of them behind her to pierce a warehouse wall. Just as the hulking beast swung his fist down, Penny was pulled away with the help of her swords. His fist destroyed the ground and reduced it to dust. But he turned back to see his new opponent was a safe distance away as her blades hovered around her again.

Han roared, leaving prints in the stone as he blitzed towards her. Penny raised her hands and her blades formed a circle in front of her. Their hilts bent and the tips of the swords pulled back to reveal barrels within them. Bright green energy started gathering at the ends of the blades before Penny pulled back and punched, firing a massive beam of energy at the oncoming giant.

It looked like there was going to be a clash of green energy and white Aura as the two extremes were set to collide.

But Han blinked first.

At the very last moment, he dove out of the way as the green blast shot by. It burned through the back of a Bullhead and melted several containers, creating massive explosions as White Fang members started diving away for safety.

"ARE YOU KIDDING?!" Roman exclaimed while he watched a massive chunk of their score get burnt to oblivion, "All this prep and it's ruined by a bunch of kids!" He raised his cane and blocked another attack from Blake as Sun came to join her side. The crook seethed, "Ugh, starts off with one or two ants, and the next thing I know-"

"Hey! Don't think we're letting you go!"

He looked back to see Ruby was charging over to join the skirmish, "Picnic's ruined." He was surrounded by students as he chuckled and tipped his hat, "Well this has been - can't say fun but instead - intriguing but I've got way better things to do! So sorry Red, Kitten, Banana Brain, but I've gotta run!"

"No way-"

Roman pointed his cane down and fired an explosive blast that kicked up a smoke cloud around them. They coughed and tried to make sense in the haze that was quickly blown away by whirring engines. Blake, Ruby, and Sun looked up to see another Bullhead had flown over them filled with Dust. Roman was being pulled up by one end of his cane hooking around the latch as he landed in the vehicle.

They heard more explosions and looked over to see Penny was still holding the massive Faunus at bay. Her blades swung out and levitated back to her side before striking again. Her blades crossed Han's gauntlets as the sound of clashing metal echoed across the docks. Penny yelled and threw her hands out as two blades lunged forward and impacted against the horse Faunus' stomach. But with his body still clad in Aura there wasn't much damage, and he grabbed the blades before they could be pulled back.

Han felt the pull of a wire on both swords and realized that was how she made them float. And now that he had them in his grasp, he knew the little girl could no longer evade him. He looked up and saw Penny's eyes widen...

"Die."

Han pulled on the blades and lifted her off her feet, spinning Penny around and around before letting go. She went flying through the air and smashed into the side of another container, denting it hard enough to bend in half.

"PENNY!" Ruby screamed before she turned to the massive figure. She didn't know who this man was or how he was doing this, but he was hurting her friends! She spun her scythe around and held it out to fight, Blake and Sun doing the same as they prepared to fight him.

Han's eyes narrowed, the milky white eyes shifting as he raised his fists, "Come then, if you're so ready to forfeit your lives, let's see what-"

"WRAAAAAH!"

A giant orange fist came flying past them and slammed directly into Han, knocking him off his feet and sending him bouncing across the dockyard in a heap. They all looked shocked by what happened as an orange blur dashed by and landed on all fours in front of them. Han lifted himself up from the ground and looked over at his new attacker.

The orange figure was close to the ground, on his hands and knees as a mix of growls and pants echoed out from it. It's body twitched and jerked before taking several steps towards Han.

"Uh," Sun blanked, "What the hell is that?"

Blake looked at it suspiciously before her eyes widened, "Naruto?"

"Naruto?!"

"He's okay?!" Ruby sound relieved as she stepped forward, "Naruto-"

"Ruby, don't! Don't get near him yet!"

Han stood back up and looked at the boy covered in orange Aura. The color was different and the stance was odd but it was a carbon copy of his own Semblance. Han stepped forward, "I didn't think you were one of us too. If that's the case, why you're fighting me makes even less sense. We're the same. Kin. Both blessed with power passed down for generations to protect the Faunus. You should be by our side-"

"RAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Naruto didn't listen as he sent a punch out that stretched and expanded to the size of a truck. Han immediately countered, steam shooting off his body at blistering speeds as he charged to meet the fist head-on.

White clashed with orange, the steam-fueled Faunus pushing the massive fist back with considerable effort before finally knocking it aside. Han caught his breath, glaring at the fox as he prepared to continue the fight-

"Han-ny, time to say goodbye!"

The hooked end of Roman's cane came falling by Han's face as he looked up to see the bullhead. Their escape was ready as the professional criminal narrowed his eyes, "We have more important shit to do! Unless you want to be the one to explain why we're late."

...

Han's cloak deactivated, the white Aura disappearing over his body. He looked back at the fox one more time before he grabbed the hook and was pulled up into the Bullhead.

"RAH!"

Naruto stretched out his arm to catch them but the Bullhead escaped his range and flew out into the sky. The berserk fox ran down the dock to catch them before yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Naruto?!" Ruby looked at her friend in worry before turning to Blake, "What do we do?"

"You go help that other girl. She might be injured as well." Ruby hesitated before nodding and running off to go check on Penny. She turned to Sun, "Can you go help her?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. But you okay handling..." He didn't finish the question as she just nodded. He looked over at Naruto one last time, "Good luck."

Blake quickly ran across the dock and came up to Naruto as the fox Faunus kept searching his surrounding. He must have known she was there because when she got closer he turned around and growled, frightening her as the only features visible on his face were the orange eyes staring her down. She took a deep breath before speaking, "Naruto, are you there?"

The mindless fox just stared and growled at her, swaying on his hands and feet as he watched her movement.

This wasn't boding well.

She raised her hands, "I'm glad you're okay. I was scared...afraid that I had gotten you killed. After telling us not to die, it wouldn't be fair if you were the one to pay for my mistake. I'm sorry about everything...and I want to say thank you. For not giving up on me." She stepped forward, the mindless fox tensing up before she spoke, "But we have to get back. Everyone is waiting. So please...come back."

Naruto seemed to look her over before landing on her eyes. For a moment, Blake swore she saw something like recognition in the blank orange color as his Aura started to recede.

When it was fully gone, Naruto fell on his hands and knees. She immediately came to his side and helped him sit up. His bandana was torn away to show his ears and half of his shirt was torn off, but she couldn't see any injuries. He blinked his eyes a few times before looking up at her with a groggy expression, "D-Did we win?"

"Well, I don't think we lost."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Ruby, please let go-"

"No!" The little leader defied her friend's request and tightened her hold around Blake's neck, "I've been searching for you and I have to make sure I don't lose you again!" Plus she was just so happy to have her friend back that she couldn't let go, "Blake, I don't care what you are or how cute those ears are, you're getting such a talking to when we get home!"

Blake's eyes rolled as she held her ribbon tight in her hand. The police and authorities walking around the dock and surveying what had been taken during the robbery. Now it was just the five of them sitting together and waiting for their turn.

Sun looked at his fellow blond, "What about you? You sure your insides isn't putty, because that punch you took for me looked like it was gonna turn you into goo."

"Well my Aura kicked in, to varying results." Naruto fiddled with his ruined clothes and sighed, "That's another bandana, shirt, and vest. If things keep going like this I'm gonna end up shirtless."

"It's not that bad."

"Shirtless by accident, not by design." Naruto repeated as Sun shrugged and flapped his open shirt for all to see. The fox rolled his eyes before turning to their final member, "What about you? Uh - Penny, right?"

"Yep, that's correct! And I am perfectly okay!" The bubbly girl looked no worse for wear but had moved the bow to cover another part of her head, "I merely have a small cut that peeled off some skin and revealed the underlying tissue beneath, but I will heal with some care."

"That doesn't sound fine-"

"I'm glad we were able to find you Blake." Penny happily changed the subject as she looked at the cat, "Ruby was able to find her friend, and I found my fellow bow-wearing companion! Which makes us friends as well!"

"What?"

"D-don't ask." Ruby stated before looking over at Penny, "Penny, what you did with those blades was so cool! I've never seen anything like that!"

"Uh, yeah you have." Naruto said as he waved his hand, "Me, remember? I use blades and wires all the time, remember?"

Ruby blinked in surprise before looking at Penny, "Is that true?"

"Oh yes, my blades are all connected with wires strung by a special motor in my pack. They help me control the speed and distance of my blades very well."

"Oh." Ruby looked sheepish, "Um, sorry Naruto. I-I didn't know. It didn't look the same because Penny's looked so majestic and like they were flying and yours is-"

"Yeah, I get it." Naruto cut her off, a crease in his brow before he sighed, "She looked like she could use them way better." He only caught a glimpse of her using them while she climbed down from the container, but hers looked so much smoother and easier to control. He smiled and looked at Penny, "I may need you to give me some pointers on how you make them move so well."

"Oh, I would be overjoyed to train with someone!" Penny cheered, "Can we be friends as well?"

"Uh, sure. I guess."

Blake palmed her face while Ruby smiled, "That's so cool! You and Naruto use the same style of fighting! What are the odds?"

"Extremely small, by my calculations." Penny informed, "Actually, I started practicing this style of fighting because it intrigued me the most."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. I was looking through some old files back in the Atlas database and I found footage of someone using this style. However the person I viewed doing it was actually a criminal, because they were stealing a surplus of Atlas weaponry from a transfer two years ago. And their style was quite rough and unrefined, but it was still so beautiful so I just had to try it myself."

"Man, what a funny coincidence! Naruto-"

"Naruto has no idea what that is about!" The whiskered blond cut her off, veins pumping in his head as his eye twitched, "And he would most certainly have no idea about any weapons robbery or criminal that could have pulled that off because they might have to be found and arrested for that robbery!"

"Oh." Ruby's eyes widened, "Ooooooohhhhhhhhhh. Y-yeah, funny coincidence that Naruto knows nothing about, ahahaha."

"Smooth." Blake droned beside her.

"Okay, so I'm sure we're all just kinda waiting for the first guy to say it, so I'll be the guy." Sun turned to Naruto, "Dude, what was that?"

Naruto sighed before shrugging, "That...was my Semblance."

"And the fact that man's Semblance was identical was no coincidence," Blake added, "Was it?"

"No, probably not." Naruto rubbed his eyes before sitting back on his crate, "Do you guys know the story of the Faunus Noble Guard?"

"Later rebranded as the Majesties of Menagerie." Penny helpfully added, "The original, unedited tale tells the story of a group of Faunus that protected others and fought against the Grimm. Later their bodies started to become affected by the fighting and they seemed to turn into Grimm themselves, fading away the world but legend saying they still lived on to fight the good fight!"

They all turned to Naruto as he silently nodded. Sun pointed, "You're..."

"Yep."

"Whoa! Dude, how old are you?"

"I'm not from the original story, you idiot! That was like my great-great-great-whatever or something!" Naruto sighed and leaned back on his elbows, "But I'm apparently a descendent of one of those ancient guardians."

Blake looked at him in surprise, "So that form you took?"

"I don't think the originals actually turned into Grimm. I think their Semblances formed and did something weird." Naruto explained as he held out his hand, "Our Aura doesn't form itself normally, but even when it's not around us we still have an ability. I can heal anytime I want and that guy looked like he was overheating. Aut when we activate out Semblances we become covered in it. Like a cloak or suit of armor. I just...haven't gotten the hang of controlling mine yet."

"And that other guy?" Ruby tilted her head, "He's a descendent too?"

"I think so." Naruto nodded before holding his arm, remembering when the horse covered part of his arm in Aura instead of his whole body. That was different. Naruto never knew that was a possibility.

"And your mother?"

Naruto looked at Blake after her question before nodding, "Yeah, she could do it too." Naruto kicked his legs out, "I think that's why they wanted her. Because the people that had this power protected the Faunus long ago. And now, with the White Fang, they could do it again."

"What?" Ruby asked, "What are you talking about?"

Blake looked down, "I'll tell you later. But right now we have other things to worry about. The White Fang recruited another guardian, and for some reason they've decided to work with a man like Roman Torchwick." All of their eyes narrowed as they understood the gravity of a situation where the White Fang would choose to work with humans, "And for whatever reason they're getting a surplus of Dust together."

"Yeah," Sun shook his head, "That can't be good."

"Well whatever they're planning," Ruby clenched her fists, "We'll be ready for - uh-oh."

They all looked where Ruby was staring, and saw the remainder of NKTS and RWBY come meet them.

But Blake's attention focused in on just one person.

Weiss.

Ruby finally separated from Blake and ran over to Weiss as her partner started marching towards them. She waved her arms, "Weiss, we just finished a really big fight with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick so it turns out it was both of them and they were working together plus the White Fang are getting these really strong people to work with them plus Penny can use these really cool swords and Blake's ears are super cute did you see-"

Ruby's attempt to run interference failed as Weiss stood across from Blake. Blake stood up and felt her throat go dry as the heiress stared. She decided to start first, "Weiss listen, I-I'm sorry for never telling you. I was just so afraid of what you'd say if you found out. B-but if you want me to-"

Weiss raised her hand, and Blake immediately understood that as a stop. Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "You've been gone for two days. Two days of Ruby walking around like a nervous wreck. Two days of Yang trying to hold herself together while worrying about you. And two days of me thinking. Do you have any idea what it's like having the exact same thought on your mind for two straight days?" The shorter girl looked up at Blake sternly as they all watched the scene with baited breath, "I've thought about everything. Everything you've had to say. Everything I could respond to. All the points and counter points we could raise and argue. We could be at it for hours. But..." She looked back and caught Tenten's eyes for a moment before turning back to Blake, "I've realized I've already made up my mind."

Blake failed to swallow the lump in her throat, "And-"

"And I don't care."

...

"W-what?"

"Are you still part of the White Fang?"

"N-no! I swear I'm not! I left-"

"Okay! Okay, then that's enough!" Weiss cut her off before her shoulders sagged and it looked like a mountain of tension washed off her. The young heiress rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking back up at Blake, "I've been struggling these last few days because I've been trying to understand my feelings. How through all these preconceived ideas I've had about the White Fang and my attitude towards them that...that I was sad when you left. And I realized that it doesn't matter to me if you were White Fang. And it doesn't matter to me if you're Faunus either. I've already made my mind up a long time ago. You're Blake, you're a bookworm and the only other sane member of our team."

Weiss's eyes couldn't look up at hers, "My teammate and...friend, I suppose." She crossed her arms, "So next time you have something to say or some big amazing fight you want to get involved in...you better make sure to come to us."

Weiss looked up and was surprised to see tears coming down Blake's cheeks. The heiress looked concerned but the cat Faunus just wiped them away before smiling, "Okay. I will."

Weiss seemed pleased with that response and nodded, "V-very good."

"Awwwww~."

"Awwwww~."

Ruby and Yang blindsided their partners and caught them in a massive team hug they could not escape. Weiss and Blake thrashed around wildly before their efforts petered out and they just resigned themselves to their partners' stupidity.

When Weiss was finally released, she patted herself down and looked back up. She saw Naruto watching them before she marched up to him. The blond leaned back a little in worry before she stopped and glared up at him intensely.

"You're still a complete imbecile, by the way."

...

A small smile came over his face as the message came through.

He was nearly knocked off his feet when Tenten came running in and tackled into his side with a hug. She muttered something about chewing his ear off later but hugged harder, happy to see him in one piece. Kiba came walking over next, a smirk on his face even as he punched Naruto hard in the arm. And Sasuke, still silent but relieved to see his friend was okay.

All the fear and panic that had filled his belly had been forgotten for a moment as he was reunited with his friends.

"A-aw man, dust in my eye." Sun sobbed, "This is the worst."

"Who are you again?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Naruto walked back into their dorm room and saw everything was still fine. Even his bed had been made and cleaned while he was away.

He felt a hard knock on his back as Kiba passed by and jumped into bed, "So, I'm sure there's a lot to be said and arguing we could have, but it's late and I'm relieved to have you back. So let's drop it for now."

"He's right." Tenten agreed and looked back at Naruto with a smile, "Let's just focus on resting for now. We're all leaving tomorrow and there's still the closing statement from Ozpin in the morning so we need our rest."

Naruto understood and nodded while he bent down by his bed. He reached underneath and pulled out the box filled with spare bandanas. He opened it up and stared down at them as his thoughts started to clear...

...

"I've wanted to hide it for so long."

Kiba and Tenten looked back at Naruto, "I've been ashamed of everything I did. Joining the White Fang. Failing to protect my mom. Unable to go back to my dad. And then having to work as a thief. All that stuff was just regrets and mistakes that I've wanted to forget and move past as much as possible. So I kept quiet about them and tried to move on. But I haven't."

Naruto closed the box and slid it back under his bed as he stood up, "I can't move on while I let those things control me. I've been so scared to remember them, and even more scared of telling you all about them. Because I was so sure that you would hate me for them, like I do. But...but I was wrong." He looked over at Sasuke and said nothing, but the Uchiha nodded and stood up from his bed as well, "I want to tell you both everything. Because I trust you with everything." He turned to Kiba and Tenten...

"Can we tell you how we got here?"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**So someone asked what the Aura-cloak looked like, and it's basically like the Jinchūriki version two form. But instead of a red and black outline, the colors differ for each person based on their Aura. And they don't all have ears, tails, and claws in that form. Just the one feature for each of them.**_

_**So, I hope this gave you some clarity to some things I've written so far. Reveals, feelings, fights, and truths.**_

_**Let's get a look at our boys' past.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	43. Spinning World: Part 1

Hunting or Bust

Dust 38: Spinning World: Part 1

I was thinking of a title, and I remember that Shippuden ending revolving around Naruto and Sasuke(among like a hundred others). And the title of that song...

Ha...some things just click into place.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"That's how we started. And to understand how we got from there to here, we have to look back on what brought us here. Well I mean technically you guys have a pretty good idea of that already. Stealing for a crime lord. Getting caught. Ozpin with the second chances. Initiation-"

"Get on with it."

"Right, sorry. Anyway, I guess it started for me-"

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_The nasty gruel splashed on the tray and kicked up some gross chunks and bits. Naruto stared down at his unappetizing meal as his ears flattened across his head. He looked up at the server, "Uh, do you guys need any help back there? Cause I'm a pretty mean with spices and condiments."_

_The sloth Faunus slowly looked up and stared at Naruto. She didn't move for several seconds before going back to scooping out the gunk that was being fed to the freedom fighters. Naruto rolled his eyes and just left the line, letting the next poor soul get the most unappetizing crap in the world._

_15-years old and he was certain he could make any of their servings twice as good with minimal effort._

_He walked along the tables, hearing other White Fang members talk jovially and laugh while their slop was pushed aside for later._

_Naruto wished he could join in on the laughter, but he couldn't find it in himself. He devoured the gruel as fast as he could, shoveling it down before dropping his tray of by the exit._

_He headed down the corridor and back to the barracks. He'd rather spend his time resting and waiting for whatever task he had to do next. The less time he spent actively helping the White Fang cause havoc to the innocent the better._

_"Well well, if it isn't my favorite sleeping rookie."_

_Oh great. All the outposts they get moved to across Remnant and that tool came to the same one as him._

_Naruto looked back and saw the same cocky grin he had come to detest since joining this damn group. The taller, older man was Mizuki. A white-haired tiger Faunus well over ten years older who had taken special interest in Naruto since he arrived almost two years ago, "Where you going, kiddo? Off for a little snooze before our next assignment?"_

_"Yeah actually, that's exactly it." Naruto didn't know why he let the irritation bleed through into his voice. It only served to satisfy the bastard's attempts to annoy him, "Now if you don't mind-"_

_"What's your hurry?" Mizuki quickly stepped around him to stop him from going anywhere. The tiger crossed his arms, attempting to show off his larger arms as he sneered at the fox, "If you've got time to just lie around, why don't you and I head to the grounds? Get in some training?"_

_This guy was pathetic. When Naruto first joined the White Fang, Danzō decided to test his skills by putting him in a training group with some older members. He faced off against Mizuki first, and with some fast movement Naruto knocked him down pretty fast. Mizuki had power, but Naruto had been training with his father and in comparison Mizuki stood like a statue when he fought._

_Unfortunately from that moment on he had gotten himself a firm spot on the tiger's shit list._

_"No." Naruto growled as he attempted to squeeze by him, "Now get out of my-"_

_Mizuki's hand slammed on the wall by Naruto's head as the white tiger seethed in anger. He slowly turned to glare at the fox, his movement looking extremely disjointed and unnatural as he faced him. Naruto's expression didn't change at all as he just stared the taller man down. Mizuki glared, "Don't think you can just ignore me. Just because you beat me once doesn't make you better than me."_

_"That was a sparring match. Two years ago. Get. Over it." Naruto drawled, fed up with Mizuki's pride and insecurity._

_"See, here's what I don't get. You can handle all of the others so well in training and spars, but when it comes to the actual raids you're utter shit." Mizuki noted and smiled when he saw Naruto's eyes narrow, "And I notice how often you get called up by the heads. That must make you pretty special too, am I right? What are you, some kind of scout for the leaders? To see who's lieutenant material or not?"_

_No. If he was anything special he'd have power and some ability to help his mother._

_"Mizuki, back off." Naruto was fed up with this conversation, "I'm sick of talking about is."_

_"And I'm just getting started." Mizuki narrowed his eyes, "So you better-"_

_"Uh-hum."_

_They looked over to see another White Fang member, this one still wearing their mask as she looked at them, "There's been a summons. He's been called over."_

_"Tell them to wait." Mizuki petulantly growled, "I'm not done talking with him yet."_

_She seemed intimidated by his anger before continuing, "It was from the leader meeting. He's supposed to go over ASAP."_

_Mizuki's body eased just a fraction before he looked back down at Naruto. His glare intensified before he scoffed, "And the evidence stacks up." He turned, making sure to hit Naruto with his shoulder on the move as he continued down the hall._

_"They're still meeting but you're supposed to-"_

_"I know." He didn't wait for her to finish as he walked and started making his way to the meeting. He fished around his pocket before pulling out the Grimm mask that had been given to him when he joined. The rules were that you could take it off during lunch and whenever you weren't on assignment. But you needed it on during missions, training, or around the leaders._

_He hated this stupid mask. He hated looking like a monster and scaring people. The looks on peoples' faces during those raids when they watched him with such fear and horror...they would haunt him for the rest of his life._

_But he was still a part of this. And the mask was part of the job too._

_He attached it over his nose and walked into the waiting room outside of the council room. Whenever he was called in these places were usually empty, rows of seats back to back. But there was just one other person sitting here this time. It looked like a girl, long black hair and what looked like feline ears on her head, but she was wearing the same uniform and Grimm mask so he couldn't get a look at her._

_He walked around and sat down, sitting in the row faced away from her as he waited. The room was uncomfortably quiet and the girl seemed to be occupying her time by reading or something. That just seemed boring, "Hey, uh - any idea how much longer they'll-"_

_"No." She was quick and curt with her answer._

_Naruto slumped in his chair after her sharp response. They sat in silence before he tried striking up a conversation, "So~, what were you called in for?"_

_She raised her book up and focused on the tome to block him out._

_Ugh, sourpuss._

_Thankfully the tension came to an end when they heard the doors open. Naruto and the girl stood up as they heard several pairs of footsteps come out of the meeting room. Advisors. Tacticians. And leaders. The first person Naruto saw exit the room was..._

_Adam._

_Naruto instinctively stepped back when he saw the bull Faunus make his way out. Adam Taurus was the head Naruto had the least knowledge and interaction with. He didn't think a lot about the people that joined the group but something about that guy was just unnerving. The rumors about his ferocity. His skill._

_He was probably the only guy Naruto knew in the entire organization that kept his mask on at all times as a preference._

_That moody book girl stood up and followed him out as the rest of the meeting people started flooding out. People called together to plan future attacks and raids. Leaders and lieutenants. And among them..._

_Danzō._

_Naruto was thankful for once he was wearing the mask, because otherwise his hateful glare would be clear as day._

_Danzō stopped to look back at him and Naruto realized he must have sensed his stare. He panicked as the old weasel stared back for a good few seconds, the whiskered boy feeling his palms sweat before he finally started to move again._

_He sighed in relief when he was gone._

_And finally she came out._

_The long red hair with the eyes hidden by her Grimm mask._

_His mother._

_He didn't call out or smile or react when he saw her. But she spared him a look and motioned for him to follow. They walked around the corner and out of sight before it was just the two of them._

_A smile finally came back over his face, "Thanks for calling."_

_"I'm glad you came." They shared a quick hug before separating._

_They didn't do this kind of stuff in the presence of other members of the White Fang. Danzō had made it clear the day he joined that he was just a member of the White Fang now, and he couldn't socialize with his mother so easily anymore. He seemed to be under the idea that people wouldn't follow or listen to her if they knew her son was born from a human father._

_Other people who joined could have a split family like that, but she was expected to be pure Faunus. And if they knew her lover was human, then she'd lose that ability to command them. Danzō was having none of that. So from that day on she would be referred to as Ma'am, and he was Uzumaki._

_So they meet in secret after council gatherings like that. She wanted to make sure he got back from his missions alright while he made sure nothing bad happened to her._

_Even if they couldn't meet regularly, that didn't mean it was going to stop them from being mother and son._

_"What was that meeting about?"_

_"The usual." She spoke without any energy or feeling in her voice. She hadn't spoken with much mirth at all in the last two years, "Attack positions. Raid locations. And new rallies for bringing in recruits. I've...I've gotta head back to the mainland soon."_

_"Oh." Naruto nodded, "Alright, I'll put in a request for a transfer-"_

_"You can't." Kushina shook her head, "It won't be processed in time."_

_"What?" He was confused by her statement, "What are you talking about?"_

_"Danzō." She stated like a fact, "He's not letting you follow me. You're staying at this base indefinitely."_

_"What?" He quietly growled out, just finding it in himself not to yell at the top of his lungs._

_"He's taken notice of the field reports about you," Kushina lowered her head, "Anti-social, unresponsive, slacking in training, slow during missions, and problems with authority. You're basically everything he doesn't want from a soldier in his army."_

_Naruto grit his teeth, "You have to convince him-"_

_"I can't." She looked aside, "I just can't." She looked petrified talking about the subject before looking back at him, "Maybe you can try harder? Work with people better on missions? Try to find some good intentions in what they're trying to achieve."_

_"..." He stared at her in disbelief, "Mom...you know I can't."_

_Her shoulders lowered, "Then fake it." The bluntness in her voice was not lost on him as she seemed to realize what she said, "I...I have to get going. I'll pull some strings. See if I can get back to see you soon." She walked to the corner and stopped before looking back at him, "I love you."_

_She left and Naruto was left standing in the hall by himself._

_Two years. Two years had changed them a lot._

_Two years they had been here and he hadn't seen his mother's eyes during that whole time._

_He could barely remember what they looked like now._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_A target came popping up from the ground._

_He slashed it in an instant._

_Two more sprung up._

_He slashed the closest one apart and fired a fiery shotgun blast at the other._

_One came bouncing down from the tree and he threw his sword, watching it turn in an arc and stab through the center, pinning it to the ground ahead of him._

_Another came flying down and he aimed his hand, watching the Crystal he copied fly off his fingers and litter the target before snatching his sword again._

_The last targets of the course were cut apart swiftly before he crossed the line and finished with a swing of his sword. He expertly spun his katana around before sliding it back into his sheath._

_"Nice, very nice." Guren applauded as she walked to his side with a stopwatch in hand, "You're just a few seconds shy of Raiga's best time and Deidara still has the record." The blue-haired ex-assassin shrugged, "But when you basically bomb the training course you take that time with a grain of salt so you're doing great."_

_"I knew it." Sasuke couldn't help the smug smile coming over his face as he surveyed his course run, "Just a little more practice and I'll be better than the rest of you."_

_"Okay kid, don't get ahead of yourself." She smiled with amusement at his satisfaction, "You've still got a ways to go before..." Guren paused as she quickly realized that she had to stare Sasuke in the eye to address him instead of looking down like she had for so long, "Did you get taller?"_

_"Yeah." He nodded and started heading back to camp, "It's a part of me growing up. Puberty and everything."_

_"And apparently you're becoming more of a smart-ass." Guren grumbled as she followed behind, "You were barely tolerable as you were."_

_Sasuke enjoyed the laugh before stopping and looking back at the older woman, "Do you think you can convince him to let me join now?"_

_Guren just looked at him silently before sighing, "Sasuke I don't know." She waved off his question as she passed him, "You know that isn't my decision to make, it's his."_

_"But you work closer to him than anyone!" Sasuke persisted, "You saw how fast I was! How much more skilled I am! I kill and hunt more Grimm than any of you!"_

_"Yeah but killing Grimm and fighting the White Fang are two different things." Guren pointed out as she made it clear she had no say in the matter, "Plus we don't know if you're ready yet."_

_"If it's a matter of maturity then your argument is pretty invalid when you've got someone like Deidara!" Sasuke said irritably, "He's more hotheaded and unpredictable than anyone!"_

_"I know," She knew there was no point in arguing there. When he's right, he's right, "But Deidara's already used to dirty fights and situations like this."_

_"It's about killing, isn't it?"_

_Guren sighed before turning to see the scowl that twisted the young Uchiha's face. Ever doubt his ability to fight and join them in battle and it was sure to piss him off. She spoke, "He just wants to make sure that you're ready for what happens out there."_

_"Yeah well it's hard to get ready for something no one is willing to help me prepare for."_

_"There's not a whole lot of ways to prepare for it."_

_"Well don't you think someone who fights Grimm, mindless beasts that exist to kill us, might fare well against people waving around weapons without any experience?"_

_"I'm not saying fighting them is harder than fighting Grimm, but it's different to fight other people. Taking their lives."_

_"Yeah but you're used to it. You've killed people since you - um-"_

_"Since I was younger, yes." If she was sensitive about the topic he brought up then she didn't bother showing it, "I did a lot of stuff to survive while I was growing up. And killing was apparently something I was particularly good at."_

_"Are you going to tell me killing people isn't easy?"_

_"It isn't easy. But it's not particularly hard either." Guren groaned, annoyed that she had to have this discussion with him, "It just happens. One moment you're seeing someone who has lived a whole life, filled with things they've done and possibilities of the future, and then you end it. And something happens. Maybe you feel empty. Maybe you feel thrilled. Maybe you feel nothing at all. But something changes." Guren continued down their route, "It always does."_

_Sasuke watched her silently before mulling over what she said. His thoughts went back to the first time they met the White Fang, three years ago when he and Itachi were still making ends meet by bounty hunting. It was shocking to realize it had been three years since this group had started, and yet he still remembers that day so vividly._

_Itachi did seem different. After he killed those two White Fang members he looked lost and preoccupied. It took a bit before Itachi was properly responding again. And around the time he made a decision to fight back against these terrorists._

_To make the Uchiha a fighting force again._

_To make this._

_They arrived back at their camp to see an open field filled with dozens of tents. Nearly a hundred people were out and around; moving supplies, checking in with each other, or just enjoying a meal before the next training seminar with Raiga._

_Sasuke and Guren were greeted on the way to the main tent, some saying hello while others merely waved. They finally reached the central tent and saw Itachi and Deidara among a dozen others pointing out locations on city and road maps._

_There were boards covered with locations markers of where the White Fang had struck before, attempting to find some kind of pattern or central point to predict their next move. And photos taken of White Fang during battles, raids, or just surveillance. Trying to identify key players, figure heads or leader locations over the map._

_The redhead bull had a lot of strings and connections stemming from his photo._

_The Uchiha were a much smaller group than the terrorist organization they were fighting. It would be suicide to charge the White Fang with all their members as some kind of last stand. So they had to be smarter, plan attacks and guerrilla tactics to win. That's how they were able to last so long._

_Guren and Sasuke stopped outside the tent and waited for the meeting to end. After a few minutes people started to walk out. The two walked in and were greeted by the boisterous bomber, "Hey, look who's back from training! How'd it go, short stuff?"_

_"I'm taller than you." Sasuke responded without missing a beat and ticked Deidara off, "I finished it fast, just like always."_

_"Bet you didn't beat my time."_

_"Yours barely counts." Guren added and faced Itachi, "Have you all drawn up another plan?"_

_"Something like that." Itachi nodded as he looked down at the papers on the table, "We're weighing our options."_

_"Okay. Hey talk to Sasuke."_

_"What?"_

_"Deidara the brothers are talking," She turned the blond man on his feet and forced him out of the tent with her, "Let's give them some space."_

_"W-wait what the-"_

_"Let's see if you can actually run the course like a fighter and not a cheater."_

_The two brothers were left alone as the assassin led the bomber away. Itachi chuckled before turning to Sasuke, "So how did the course go really?"_

_"As well as it usually is, and faster too." Sasuke answered while walking around the tent to see what they had. Over the board of people affiliated with the White Fang was a note saying Red Death. Whoever that person really was, if they were taken out then that might have a real affect on the organization's inner working, "Still don't know why you make me run those courses when you know how fast I finish them."_

_"Just to get as much improvement as possible." Itachi answered as he continued over their maps, "There's always room to grow."_

_'But you only grow so much when confined like this'. Sasuke wanted to respond like that but he knew it wouldn't do much to help his case if he acted petulantly. The younger brother just stepped up to the table and looked over the maps laid across it, "Anything new?"_

_"More SDC locations ransacked. Mining areas and other locations using cheap Faunus labor were bombed after evacuation. The usual." Itachi reached out and poked a red marker on the map, "Except for this incident."_

_"What happened there?"_

_"Fatalities."_

_"So?" Sasuke questioned, "There've been a lot of fatalities over all these locations." Sometimes they were on purpose or they were casualties from a violent attack, "What makes this different?"_

_"So far the White Fang was involved with executions of people directly involved with any kind of Faunus mistreatment. But this one..." He stared down at the marked location intensely, "Everyone there that wasn't a Faunus was killed. And there were no more incidents like that since then." _

_Sasuke looked down and narrowed his eyes, "So either that was a mistake..."_

_"Or something else."_

_Sasuke looked up again before walking around to face his brother, "Then you'll need all the help you can get."_

_Itachi sighed, "Sasuke, we talked about this-"_

_"And we'll keep talking about it until I'm out there with you and everyone else." Sasuke stubbornly continued, "What do I have to do-"_

_"Sasuke, it's because I'm not ready." Itachi stated evenly before facing his brother directly, "I don't know if I'm ready to send you out into this fight. With the possibility that you might not make it back."_

_"I live with that same anxiety when I see you and the others head out to fight. And when I see who didn't make it back, I'm angry because I feel like I could've done something to help if I was there."_

_Itachi grabbed his shoulder, "Sasuke, don't be so eager to head out and face that fight. Your time will come...believe me."_

_Sasuke didn't convince him. He was angry that he failed to make Itachi see his point but relented when his brother asked to be patient. His time would come. And with the number of White Fang organizing and gaining steam, that time was fast approaching._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Naruto felt the wind kick up from the ocean, hitting his eyes and tickling his ears. A strange, pleasant sensation while stranded here on a remote island with an organization of terrorists. With his short blade secured to his hip and the katana on his back, he had made it out to the training course with the rest of the group. He was carrying his personal weapon while some of the others were carrying the traditional pistol and sword._

_Probably another reason so many people weren't happy to work with him. Because he had equipment they didn't._

_He had the short blade his father had given him, but this katana was a gift. From Danzō._

_Similar to the kodachi, with a compartment for arrows and a hook at the end to be connected with a wire._

_Probably that weasel's way of welcoming him to the White Fang...work with us and there will be rewards. Don't..._

_The 'don't' didn't really need to be elaborated upon._

_"Soldiers!"_

_They stood at attention, as if they were actually members of an army and not a terrorist organization, "Listen up! We will be running the obstacle course once again! This will be a test of your speed, agility, reflexes, maneuverability, and of course your collaborative skill with your fellow soldiers!"_

_Okay, time to see if he could improve the reports. Better training scores and more social cooperation with fellow members. If he could improve, he might be able to get reassigned with his mother again._

_"Group 1, get set at the line. Group 2, back up."_

_He moved with the rest of his group to the starting line and prepared for the obstacle course. He fixed the sheaths and pack around his waist before he was ready to go. He looked between the two other members he was paired with-_

_But he noticed their glances back at him before quickly turning away again. Their eyes were hidden behind their masks but he could feel something akin to intent. He looked over his shoulder... _

_He saw Mizuki standing by the sidelines with a sneer on his face. He waved-_

_"Begin!"_

_It started and they were off down the course. The first obstacle was a tire run, having to lift their legs up to get from one spot to the next. And at the end of the grounded tires were the ones hanging from ropes, rows of them together to see how far an individual could dive through them in a hurry._

_Naruto brought up the back of their group as they maneuvered through the course. They were keeping a good distance between each other while jumping. The front of their team dove through the rings first and rolled out on the other side. The second one followed, catching their foot at the end but still making it. Naruto dove through-_

_"Agh!" The tires swerved while he was diving through them and he got caught in the obstacle. He heard laughter, most predominantly from the other two he was grouped with while he struggled to work his way out of his trap. After straightening out and crawling through, he dropped to the ground to see the others in his group waiting for him. Naruto glared with spite behind his mask but picked himself up to continue towards the walled off area._

_Cut-outs of soldiers were cut quickly._

_Spotlights were avoided._

_When the silhouette of a Hunter popped up, you ran the other way. Everything else could be handled, but Huntsmen and Huntresses were a death sentence._

_There was a steep slope they had to climb to reach a very large wall with a platform for them to continue on. It was nearly impossible to climb by yourself, the surface too smooth and too high to grab. So it was up to groups to work together to scale it._

_"Okay, come on!" One of them yelled to him, "Help me throw him up!" Naruto quickly came over and hooked hands with the other Faunus as one came running up and planted his foot in their hold. They tossed him up with as much force as they could muster and he caught hold of the edge before climbing up._

_"Give me your hand!"_

_Naruto kneeled down while cupping his hands together while the other guy came charging up and kicked off his hands. The first guy grabbed his hand and pulled him up as Naruto stepped back, "Okay, give me your hand! I'm next!"_

_The two just looked down at him before scoffing and running out of sight, "H-Hey!" Naruto yelled as he lost sight while they continued down the course, "Where the hell are you going?!"_

_They abandoned him! What the hell?! What was the instructor gonna say if they finished without him?!_

_Naruto growled before he stepped back and looked at the wall again. He clicked his teeth, pulling out the short blade and tying a wire around its hook. He slid it down his hand and started spinning the blade as fast as he could before spiking it upwards, watching the sword imbed itself into the stone._

_With a deep breath, Naruto charged forward and ran up the wall as much as he could before climbing the wire. He climbed as fast as he could when he saw his blade start to slip out of the incision but he grabbed the edge of the peak just as it fell out._

_He climbed up and pulled his blade back as he desperately ran down the corridor to finish. He might be last but he was gonna make those pricks pay for ditching him. He came to the end of the corridor and saw the climbing net he had to get down with his group-_

_"OOF - AHH!" Naruto was tackled off the edge with a member of their group and they went tumbling down the net and hit the ground hard. They separated as Naruto caught his breath before he got fed up. He clamored to his feet and tackled his assailant to the ground and yelled, "What's your problem, asshole?!"_

_"Get off me man!"_

_"What the hell were you two doing-"_

_"Uzumaki!"_

_The instructor came running over to the end of the course while a few other soldiers followed behind, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"_

_Naruto threw his 'teammate' down before pointing between them both, "They were sabotaging me! They kicked the tires and left me at the wall and tackled me off the goddamn net!"_

_"That's not true!" The other conspirator climbed down the net and defended them, "This guy is crazy! He yelled at us when he screwed up the tires, a-and he said he could handle the climb himself-"_

_"Bullshit!" Naruto cut him off and yelled, "Stop lying!"_

_"Enough! All of you!" The instructor bellowed as he shook his head, "I don't know who's lying or telling the truth but it's obvious you can't work together! So how about a day cleaning the base tomorrow! Does that sound better?!"_

_Naruto's scowl furrowed and there was a mumbling between all of them before the instructor stormed off with the other groups following behind him, "We're going back to runs! Everyone get back in line!"_

_The two traitors helped each other up and went back with the others. But Naruto noticed the turn of their lips as they smirked. He growled and pulled the mask off his face before walking around the course and noticing Mizuki one more time._

_The white tiger was chuckling and waved goodbye, walking out of sight._

_It looked like trying harder wasn't going to do much to help when he had a target on his back._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"Sasuke, can you help us? We could use an extra hand."_

_He quickly went over to help unload the camp supplies from their supply truck. He grabbed a crate of perishables, grunting at their considerable weight before dropping them over with the others. He looked over the campsite and saw there were still some people missing, "Are they not back from the raid yet? It's been two days."_

_"Have hope kid." A female voice comforted him, "Mr. Itachi is in the raid team this time, so you know they're in safe hands."_

_Right. His brother, Raiga, and Deidara were on the team as well, with at least a dozen other fighters they had trained as well._

_"I think that's them!"_

_Sasuke quickly jumped to his feet as a small crowd started making their way towards the same direction. He slipped his way through the dense crowd and made it to the front to see several trucks and vans stop by their camp. Itachi came out of one of them and he immediately felt a sense of relief to see his big brother was okay. Deidara, Raiga, and several others came out as well._

_But it wasn't as large as the group they left with, and they knew what that meant._

_Itachi sighed and stepped forward to get their attention, "We lost several of our people. They died holding off the White Fang and saving others from being executed in their fanatical effort to make humans suffer. They did not die for nothing. And not just because they passed in the line of duty, but because they helped strengthen ours."_

_The van doors opened and they pulled out several White Fang members to stumble to the ground. Men and women, all with varying features and no masks._

_The crowd started loudly demanding questions as Itachi pointed down at their hostages, "These people have information on the White Fang! Their ranks! Their plans! Their locations! They are a wealth of information, and we can use it to prepare for the future! Guren?"_

_The blue-haired woman stepped out of the crowd and he looked at her with sincerity, "We'll need your help with the interrogation." She nodded as he looked out over the crowd and raised his fist, "This is another step to our victory!"_

_"YEEEAAAHHHH!"_

_Sasuke cheered and felt a smile come to his face. They had to collect information from word of mouth and unreliable sources, sometimes getting the wrong location or arriving too late to make a difference. But with information directly from the source?_

_Things were turning up in their favor._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Naruto looked down at his slop with vacant eyes as his spoon swirled the nasty gunk around. His table was empty, people either avoiding him because of the rumors or because Mizuki had convinced them to._

_It had been about a week since the obstacle course incident and things hadn't gotten any better. Mizuki was manipulating those around him, other members who shared Mizuki's opinion on Naruto or just plain didn't like him. And they were all out to make him look bad._

_During training they messed with his equipment before the exercises. They made him come off as a loner and completely unable to work with others. They started fights to make him look volatile. And when he tried to explain himself, they argued otherwise and outnumbered him._

_Mizuki was toying with him. The pitiful bastard was getting back at him for all the times he insulted the tiger's pride. If he wasn't so full of himself then maybe he could take defeat like a normal person. But that didn't seem likely._

_Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his mask, turning it over in his hand as he examined it. Nowhere in the human world was he accepted. And now it seemed even Faunus didn't take kindly to him._

_So what did that make him?_

_The whole cafeteria suddenly went silent aside from a few whispers. Naruto didn't bother seeing what all the fuss was about. There was a settling across the table from him and he realized some sap decided to risk it because there wasn't anymore space. Naruto looked up but froze when he saw the red hair and Grimm mask sitting across from him._

_Adam Taurus rested his blade and sheath beside him as he started digging into his food. He didn't seem to mind the bland taste of the meal as he shoveled it down in silence._

_Naruto wasn't sure Adam was aware he was sitting across from him. Or even that he existed. But everyone else in the mess hall had, staring at the scene in confusion and awe. Naruto decided to leave before-_

_"And who are you?"_

_Adam spoke and decided to address him, speaking in a rough and gravelly voice Naruto didn't expect to hear from the frightening man. His legs froze and he stayed standing in one spot before he finally gave in and sat at the table, "I'm Naruto."_

_"Hmm." He grunted, merely acknowledging that he heard him and not actually interested in what he said. The bull looked up at him for a moment before going back to his meal, "You're her son, aren't you?" Naruto's blood went cold and he looked around to see if anyone in the crowd had heard him say that, "There are a lot of foxes in the White Fang, but you look like her. Can't be a coincidence."_

_Was he going to blow it right here? After all that work-_

_"We're alike, she and I." Adam offhandedly mentioned, the fox's stomach twisting at the thought that this man and his mother were similar in any way, "We're both Danzō's puppets, but after she ran away, I was taken in and trained to be his loyal solider. The results were phenomenal, even if the process and training were torturous. And he planned for the possibility that we may take action in return. I suppose I have to praise his preparation for placing defense mechanisms in us like that."_

_He...he did what?_

_"And he picked us because of our hatred for humans. But apparently...that's not a trait that stuck with her. She raises arguments, suggesting ways we can finish our task and avoid human casualties. This constant opposition against him has infuriated him beyond belief. He didn't want someon to argue and raise points against him, he wanted another tool." Adam ate another spoonful, "Danzō is seriously considering re-training her. And I can attest to how unpleasant an experience that can be."_

_"N-no-"_

_"So what about you?" The bull got to the meat of his inquiry and looked back up at Naruto, "Do you share our cause? Or are you dragging your feet in an attempt to slow our revolution down?"_

_Naruto couldn't find his words while facing this man. He knew...he just knew...one failed check. One false promise. One lie. And in an instant he would lose his head._

_"Is that why you haven't fought back against the people tormenting you?" Adam raised his spoon, "I thought I would see how you react to that kind of harassment, so I asked that tiger to push you. Humiliate you. Isolate you. And I have to say I'm disappointed with your response."_

_He...he asked Mizuki to do this? As a test?_

_"You are being mistreated." Adam grumbled, "Toyed with. Used as a joke. So are you just going to take it? Sit there while all of them see you as just a fool? As less?" Adam's voice got lower and lower before his attention focused on the blond fox, "You want to stay with your mother, right? What are you going to do?"_

_T-this bastard. He was playing them. Putting him in a situation...just like with humans and Faunus. If Naruto wanted this to stop, he would have to make it stop. But if he did...he'd be doing the same thing as the White Fang._

_"I-I'll stop them." Naruto muttered, "I'll convince them-"_

_"It won't work." Adam interrupted before a mocking smirk came over his face, "You and her still have quite a ways to go it seems."_

_"There has to be another way." Naruto said almost desperately before looking at Adam, "I can find another way."_

_"Let me tell you a cold, sad truth kid." That's how he saw him, as just a kid, "Actions speak louder than words. You can try to make friends. You can try to joke. You can try to convince them who you are but they won't care. Because they already made a decision and they won't ever change that choice with just the words they hear." Adam's hand clenched his utensil until it bent in his hand, "But action...the choice you make and the result it creates...that will stick forever..."_

_Adam looked up at him, "So then let me ask you again...what are you going to do?"_

_..._

_"Uzumaki!"_

_He slowly looked back to see Mizuki and the two guys from his obstacle group step out from the crowd. The white tiger was nervous being in Adam's vicinity as well but he powered through to call him out, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You got some real nerve to think you can just sit there like that. If you know what's good for you, you'll walk and let Mister Adam enjoy his meal."_

_Naruto was still too affected by Adam's words to respond to the tiger's threat and just grabbed his tray. He stood up, preparing to walk out before looking down to see his mask still on the table._

_..._

_What did that make him?_

_His tray tipped over and spilled the food over Mizuki's pants, "What the f - GAH!"_

_He swung the tray across Mizuki's face and brought it back around to strike another of his lackeys before they could react. He dropped the tray and tackled the third one into the table as the crowd of people shuffled back before they were caught in the fight. Naruto pinned him to the table and started throwing punches down as fast as he could as his victim could only raise his arms to try and defend himself._

_Naruto felt one of his other tormentors lock him around the shoulders in an effort to restrain him. But Naruto proved his pragmatism, kicking off the table and forcing his captor to stumble back. They fell back against the table and Naruto twisted around, slamming his elbows into the grappler's ribs hard enough for the hold around him to weaken. The whiskered Faunus yelled as he broke away from his captor and started punching him in the sternum. A few hits later and he had rendered his tormentor into a coughing, gagging mess that cradled his chest._

_But before he could do anything else he stepped back as a pair of claws slashed his sleeve and drew blood. Naruto stumbled back to see Mizuki had extended his claws as the angry tiger snarled. He lunged at Naruto and started waving his hands around as quickly as possible while Naruto avoided. The blond ducked beneath one arm and slammed his elbow into Mizuki's ribs in passing before coming up behind him. But the tiger just threw a mule kick into Naruto's guard and sent him stumbling back._

_Unlike the other guys who were still in training, Mizuki already had his Aura activated. But Naruto didn't care about that. He ignored the stinging going up his arms as he clenched his fists._

_Mizuki dashed forward and started swinging his arms in wide arcs to catch Naruto with his sharp claws. Naruto blocked his forearms before he could make a full swing and jabbed his fist out to catch Mizuki's nose. He kept ducking and leaning out of the way from the tiger's attacks as he threw a punch when he could, but it didn't seem to do much while Mizuki's Aura persisted._

_"WRAH!" The white-haired man brought his arm across and Naruto put his whole weight into blocking the swing. But he suddenly felt himself get pushed back as Mizuki pressed forward and forced Naruto back, "ARHH!" Mizuki knocked Naruto back on a table and grabbed his head before slamming it down on the tabletop repeatedly. Naruto's eyes swam in his head before Mizuki grabbed his collar and dragged him over the table._

_He slid him across it before letting go and watching Naruto slide over plates and trays and utensils. He slid to a stop and Naruto pushed himself up on his hands and knees. There was a ringing in his ears as he looked up and saw Mizuki sprinting towards him. His vision was blurry for a moment as Naruto pulled himself off the table and faced the charging tiger. He waited for the last moment, the moment when Mizuki pulled his hand back, ready to slash his eyes out and couldn't do anything else. _

_Naruto yelled and jumped forward with a drop kick, knocking Mizuki's legs out from under him as the white-haired man tumbled over. He tried to pick himself up but Naruto immediately pounced and pinned him to the floor. The ivory-haired man yelled and cursed in anger before his head was lifted up and slammed into the tiles. It happened again and again, Naruto lifting the tiger's head before bashing his nose back into the floor or smacking his temple on a chair. It took a few times before Mizuki was actually being affected by the attacks but his Aura started to dip and he became groggy._

_Naruto turned him over so he was facing him before he started striking Mizuki across the face. His fists met flesh over and over and over. The once prideful tiger reduced to a terrified mess beneath him as he did what he could to protect himself. His hands reached out, ripping Naruto's cheek and drawing blood as the blond continued striking. Soon enough Mizuki's body was covered in a white light that quickly disappeared as his Aura finally vanished. The fists kept falling and blood coated Naruto's fists._

_"S-stop!" Mizuki pleaded with his teeth covered in blood and his eye swollen, "STOP!"_

_"SAY IT!"_

_"I'M SORRY!" Mizuki's yelled as the fists finally stopped and he covered his face, "I'M SORRY FOR MESSING WITH YOU! H-HE TOLD ME TO DO IT! J-JUST PLEASE STOP!"_

_Naruto realized how hard he was breathing as he stood up and stumbled on his feet. He looked down at the cowering, sniveling mess that once tormented him. He looked back at the other two, clutching their ribs and trying to alleviate the pain. The blond fox touched his bicep and cheek, seeing the cuts the tiger left on him were already closing up after drawing quite a bit of blood. _

_And of course there was the crowd that had been watching him, now looking at him in fright as they gave him a wide bubble. He slowly stepped forward, the crowd of people parting around him as he reached the table Adam was still eating at._

_Naruto stood across the table from one of the White Fang's leaders, the red bull not looking up to address or even see the glare the fox was giving him. Naruto took a sharp breath through his nose before grabbing the mask he left on the table and walking out of the cafeteria._

_He didn't like the White Fang...that didn't matter._

_He couldn't go back...that didn't matter either._

_They were scared of him? Who cares?_

_He was here for one reason and one reason only._

_So if he had to turn into a monster in order to protect her from Danzō and the others..._

_He latched his mask over his face and continued down the hall..._

_Then so be it._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

They looked at their partners in surprise after hearing about their pasts. When they said they would tell them everything about how they got here, she was surprised to learn so much. The old man that knew Naruto's mother. The same red bull Sasuke met five years ago being such an influential member of the White Fang. Now here they were, huddled together on the center carpet of their room as they told them everything.

Tenten saw Naruto and Sasuke were waiting for some kind of reaction from their partners. She realized just how quiet they had been since they stopped and looked over at her leader, "You really wanted to protect your mom."

"Of course I did." The blond solemnly nodded, "I still thought I could save her from it."

"And you." Kiba looked at Sasuke, "It sounded pretty nice being with your brother and those guys back then."

"I can promise it didn't last long."

"So?" Tenten found her curiosity getting the better of her, "What happened next?"

"Wait."

Sasuke stopped the storytelling before it could go any farther and stood up from the floor. He walked over to the door and opened it to reveal RWBY and JNPR hanging by their door. The two teams quickly realized they could no longer hide and listen so they jumped back. The two leaders attempted to appear normal after being caught eavesdropping, "H-hey guys!" Ruby greeted them, "We were gonna come see if you wanted to get breakfast before the assembly but...you seemed busy and-"

"We listened to what you guys were saying." Jaune blabbed and several looks of betrayal focused in on him, "I'm sorry! But this seemed way too important!"

...

"Do you guys wanna hear the rest?"

Their fellow teams looked between each other before filing into NKTS' room and taking seats either in the beds or on the floor. Nora bounced on Kiba's bed, "When's the good part?"

"Not a lot of good parts...but what happened next is what brought everything down."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**If I'm right, this will pass me over 1000 reviews. If so...**_

_**Thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing this little project so damn far.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	44. Spinning World: Part 2

Hunting or Bust

Dust 39: Spinning World: Part 2

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_("We'll be touching down in two minutes! Repeat, two minutes!")_

_The intercom announced as they prepared to touch down in their next location. Another mining town on the edge of Mistral. They were coming in over the ocean so the authorities wouldn't be able to react in time before they finished ransacking the place. It had been a long trip...but it was time to get the message across._

_Naruto and the others secured their weapons and placed their masks on while they waited._

_He kept his mask on during the trip. He kept in on most of the time after that little showing last month in the mess hall._

_Nobody messed with him anymore. But everyone stayed away out of fear he'd attack them next. Made sense. To them it just looked like he snapped and attacked his bullies like a deranged animal. Whether they liked him or not wasn't why he was here anyway._

_He had to get back to help his mom._

_Which meant he had to prove to Danzō that he was worthy to stay by her side. _

_In that sense he won. He broke Naruto's conviction, trying to avoid causing havoc for the people they attacked and keep some bastion of himself while a part of the White Fang. _

_Naruto hated him for that. And Adam as well, for carrying it out, but he had to protect his mother from them and if that meant being the best White Fang solider he could be...so be it._

_Since then he had been on a number of missions. Stealing Dust shipments. Raiding weapon supplies. Rendering Faunus minimal labor locations uninhabitable. _

_He was their perfect little soldier now._

_"We're coming up." He looked up at Mizuki as he came to his side by the hatch. The tiger was no longer hostile towards him, avoiding him most of the time. After what happened in the mess hall his pride had been shattered. He no longer stood as the strong white tiger he wanted everyone to think he was. Naruto had destroyed that image._

_And Mizuki was too afraid to start another fight._

_The Bullhead trembled as the ship lowered down. Everyone was armed and ready for their mission._

_The hatch finally opened and Naruto was the first out, hooking a wire around a hook as he lowered himself to the ground and into the dirt road. He pulled his wire back and heard the others fall around him, helped by their Aura to land safely as they all started making their way to the town._

_He could hear the sound of panic and stampeding footfalls as the residents of the mining town scrambled to hide. They probably saw them coming when the Bullhead flew over. Most of the people in town looked like they were seeking shelter._

_A few of the older men and women came out to meet them with weapons or blunt objects in hand. They were going down swinging, "We know why you're here! And we ain't letting you take this town without a fight!" The crowd behind him cheered, a few Faunus littered in with them as the old man charged towards the closest member._

_Which happened to be Naruto._

_Naruto didn't react to the man charging him with a bat until he was closer. When he started swinging down, Naruto pulled the sword off his back and blocked the head of the bat with his sword. He slid his blade along the bat's length before twisting it out of the older man's hands and knocking him off his feet._

_"Dad!" Another one from the crowd charged out, a young man probably only a few years older than Naruto. The blond turned his blade around and fired a collapsible arrow from his hilt, catching the young man in the hand and forcing him to drop his weapon as well._

_The rest of the White Fang started pressing forward and forcing the people back. Some were easily disarmed while others had to be persuaded with bloody noses and bruised ribs._

_The people that were hiding in their homes were rounded together in the center of the town before they were let go. The Faunus members of the community were pulled together and advised to leave but like most times he watched them protest, "You don't understand! This is the best job I can get! I need this! My sister is sick!"_

_"You are paid less than the average human employee for twice the work. Your health and benefits come second to theirs." One of the White Fang responded in a monotone voice, more them reciting from memory than actually committing to it, "It's a textbook example of discrimination."_

_There was a wave of argument from the working Faunus as Naruto continued searching the town. Once he had checked it over he returned to the center where the other White Fang and humans were gathered. The looks of fear in their faces. How some of them tried to remain calm while others were shaking with fear. There were even children huddled together with their parents._

_He felt sick. Knowing he was part of this trauma that may very well scar them for life was one of the most horrific things he could imagine. But he buried his guilt down and kept a stoic expression for the part of his exposed face._

_He couldn't falter now._

_He came closer and stood by Mizuki's side, "You!" He turned to look at the man and son he had disarmed earlier sitting together at the front of the group. The older man pointed at him, "You're just a kid! No older than my boy! How could they let you do something like this?! How could you think this is right?!"_

_'I don't.'_

_Naruto turned to the other members and swung his arm out over the town, "Set the charges! We're bringing this place and the mine down for good! We'll handle the people!"_

_"Right." Mizuki nodded as his hand went for his sword. Naruto watched him pull it out as the group of humans yelled in fear._

_"Hey!" Naruto quickly grabbed his wrist before he could start swinging, "What the hell are you doing?!"_

_"Taking care of them."_

_"Not like that! What is wrong with you?!" Naruto yelled as Mizuki's arm resisted to move. The tiger pulled his wrist out of Naruto's grip as the blond had enough of Mizuki's foolishness, "We leave them scared! Let them run and cry! Tell people about what happened here! We! Don't! Kill them!"_

_"Yes. We do."_

_Naruto was confused by his response before he heard another sword getting pulled out of its scabbard. He looked around and saw more members pull their swords out as the humans panicked and huddled together. Naruto looked around in horror as he realized..._

_They were going to kill them all._

_"I guess you didn't hear." Mizuki's voice regained its tinge of pride and mocking as Naruto felt a terrible chill, "Didn't they tell you? Apparently the humans weren't getting our message very clearly, that Faunus should be treated and respected. So now," He brandished his weapon with a smirk, "We'll have to take extreme measures to make sure we're understood."_

_How did he not know this? Why didn't anyone tell him? His panic filled his thoughts before he asked, "Do...do Danzō and Adam know about this?"_

_"Where do you think our orders came from?"_

_..._

_This was too much._

_It was bad enough destroying their homes or taking their livelihood. They may be miserable...but at least they were alive. At least there was a chance they could do something better._

_But killing them? All of them?_

_"What's wrong, Super Solider?" Mizuki's taunting permeated the panic, "Don't tell me you're giving up now."_

_No! He couldn't help her if he froze now! He had to do it! He pulled out his sword and looked over the crowd of people. All of them trembling or shielding someone else from what was going to happen. What he was going to do._

_He heard the sound of shaking metal. He gripped his trembling hand. His throat was dry and his heart was beating._

_He had to do this._

_Protecting her from the White Fang was more important than anything._

_He was willing to sacrifice anything._

_And if these people were what he needed to give up...then he could..._

_..._

_He shook his head while his sword lowered. He took a few steps back as he realized he couldn't do it. _

_He thought he could give up anything to protect her...but not this._

_Never this._

_"Pathetic!" Mizuki pushed him out of the way as he stomped his way towards the crowd. The people flinched back and screamed as he raised his sword, "I'll show you how to do it!"_

_"MIZUKI, NO!"_

_Before he could bring the blade down, an explosion hit him square in the chest and knocked him several feet back. He slid over the ground and clutched his chest in pain as Naruto looked back to the crowd in shock._

_Standing up in the middle was a young blond man with a bang covering half his face. His palm had an open mouth tattoo and smoke was rising from it before he yelled, "SCATTER!"_

_From the gathered hostages, several people jumped up and dove at the White Fang members. The robes they were wearing fell off to reveal the black jackets with red and white fans on the back._

_The Uchiha._

_"RUN!" One member of the Uchiha yelled as hostages started running away before they were caught in the battle. They charged out like a stampede as some Uchiha disarmed the Faunus they were fighting and claiming their weapons for themselves. _

_Naruto quickly pulled out his kodachi and held a weapon in each hand as he looked around at the chaos. The people were scrambling out of town as fast as they could as the Uchiha and White Fang waged war. The White Fang clearly outnumbered them but these Uchiha had a definite skill advantage._

_Especially that blond guy. He was holding back Mizuki and several other members like it was nothing. It was clear who had more experience, the blond Uchiha using condensed explosions to repel the sword swings aimed at his body. And while Mizuki and the others were panicked, the Uchiha kept his composure and blew them all back with a mighty explosion._

_"DAMN YOU!" Mizuki jumped to his feet and aimed his gun at the Uchiha member, but the blond quickly threw out his hand and exploded the gun in Mizuki's hand. The tiger yelled and the Uchiha dashed in before placing his hands against Mizuki's chest and blowing him off his feet, the Faunus being covered in a white light as his Aura disappeared._

_Mizuki climbed up to his knees and gasped for air before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a detonator and held it up._

_But the others were still setting up the bombs in the Dust mine. And they were in the blast range. He wouldn't-_

_He did._

_Mizuki pressed the button, and they felt the ground beneath them shake. The earth split open and fire shot out from the cracks as the mine entrance beyond the village spewed out an immense pillar of flame. Everyone fell to their hands and knees from the violent shaking as houses started burning in the inferno._

_He heard panic all around him as the town changed into a slice of hell. And despite the pandemonium, people were still fighting each other._

_Naruto turned around and finally noticed one of the Uchiha charging at him with a blade in her hand. He brought his blades up and blocked her sword as they started trading blows. Naruto gripped his kodachi in reverse and knocked her back as his katana came swinging up at her in return. She blocked his attack and spun around his sword while bringing hers up to his chin. Naruto leaned back as the tip of her sword cut across his face and split his mask in half._

_"AAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!" He screamed in agony as he aimed his hilt out and rapidly fired arrows at his opponent, catching her off guard as his arrows hit all over her body and knocked her back completely. Naruto stumbled to the ground, his vision swimming around as half his mask fell to the ground. He reached up and felt the cut that crossed his face, the blood covering most of it as he reeled back from the pain._

_How could this happen?_

_How did they miss the Uchiha that snuck in with the residents of the town?_

_How could Mizuki detonate the bombs just because he was a sore loser!_

_How...how did he not know they had come here to kill everyone?_

_Would he have gone along with it?_

_This can't be happening._

_He couldn't let this happen._

_"Get over here, you bastard!"_

_"DAD!"_

_Naruto looked up, his vision unfocused and blurry as the pain slowly started to subside while he healed from the cut. He saw Mizuki, beaten and tired from all the fighting as he grabbed someone by the arm. The leader of the town and his son that hadn't escaped in time. Mizuki knocked them over and held his sword out in anger before yelling and bringing it up to attack._

_Naruto's legs started moving. He was sprinting as fast as he could towards Mizuki and the captured humans before it was too late. Mizuki yelled and brought his sword down to slice them up._

_And Naruto's blade pierced through his bicep._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mizuki let out a bloodcurdling cry as he looked at the sword stuck through his arm. He dropped his own saber and screamed as blood started gushing out over his face and vest. Naruto pulled his blade out of the tiger's arm as he fell to the ground and clutched his useless limb in pain._

_Naruto turned to the humans and yelled, "RUN!"_

_They didn't waste a moment as the son helped his father up to his feet and they ran as fast as they could. They escaped the burning village as the ground continued to split open and release intense flames. Naruto slowly looked over the town, burning so quickly the sky was already enveloped in smoke. Naruto spotted the last of the Uchiha picking themselves up and escaping before the town exploded any more. He swore he saw something flash before another earthquake shook the town._

_This is what he had done. His 'comrade' at his feet, holding his useless limb and trying to stop the bleeding as their human victims ran away. Their greatest enemies escaping while the town they ransacked exploded around them._

_That was what Naruto saw before he was tackled to the ground by the other White Fang members._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"HA!" Sasuke stepped forward and swung his blade down against Raiga's swords. He pressed on and brought his katana down over and over against the massive man. He forced the mercenary to step back as he continued striking before Raiga blocked his blade and stepped in._

_Sasuke bent to avoid the swing to his head and dove forward as the second blade came up at his legs. He rolled along the dirt and quickly blocked the kick the green-haired man threw out at him. Sasuke jumped back up to his feet and lunged at Raiga's head._

_The older swordsman smiled as he evaded and then crossed his swords over Sasuke's. In one fluid motion he stepped in and slammed his shoulder into Sasuke's chest. He was sent flying back as Raiga pulled the sword out of Sasuke's grip as it fell to the ground._

_Sasuke flipped through the air and landed on his feet while Raiga charged him. Disarmed, Sasuke lowered his stance and prepared himself, feeling the urge to activate his Semblance but burying it down with a smirk on his face. The huge man crossed his blades before swinging them out at him. The youngest Uchiha leaned back to avoid the crossed slash before kicking up with a foot aimed for Raiga's chin. The large man leaned out of the way to avoid the kick and swung his swords up from the ground. The tips tore through the grass and were coming up at Sasuke's side but he quickly anchored himself in the dirt and blocked the sword with his foot. Sasuke brought his other leg down and slammed it into Raiga's knee._

_Raiga dropped to a knee and twisted to swing his pronged blades at Sasuke as the young man pushed off his hand and spun in the air. He landed and sprinted for his sword as Raiga picked himself up and chased him. Sasuke dove and grabbed his sword off the ground before spinning around and holding it out so the tip nearly pierced Raiga's nose._

_The two swords that were just an inch away from his neck and his heart stopped as well as the two swordsmen were gridlocked._

_"Good." Raiga nodded at him as he lowered his swords and stood up straight, "It amazes me you were once the kid I beat in a single strike."_

_"Give me just a little more time," Sasuke smirked and lowered his blade as well, "Maybe then I'll have something to teach you about swords."_

_Raiga chuckled while the rest of the advanced trainees clapped after their showing. Raiga was in charge of training new recruits in basic combat before going out into the field. For those that wanted to step up their skill, they could join an advanced group that practiced and sparred more ferociously. Sasuke had been a part of Raiga's training regiment for three years, and added on to the basics he learned from Itachi, he could be consider quite capable in a fight._

_"You should go hydrate and take a break." Raiga advised him while wiping the sweat from his brow, "You took quite a few blows so your Aura is probably nearly depleted."_

_"Oh?" Sasuke looked skeptical, "And you're still up to teach the rest of them?"_

_"Oh no. They'll be sparring between each other today. You ruined the lesson for everyone else."_

_They shared a laugh as Raiga patted his shoulder and started barking orders to the other trainees. He walked through the camp and made his way back to his and Itachi's tent. He was about to walk in before he saw something come out of the forest. He walked a little further down the camp and saw his brother emerge from the foliage with Guren by his side._

_He walked up to greet them but quickly took notice of the blood stains around Guren's hands and boots. He slowed down and realized what they had been doing, "Did you guys get anything?"_

_"Everything we will get." Itachi answered and turned to Guren while she rolled up her sleeves, "I'm sorry I've had to ask you to do this again-"_

_"Stop." She cut him off before looking up at him, "We know what we're doing, and we have to do what we can in order to succeed. I have a skill set tailored to what we need, and we're using it. Stop apologizing and just move on."_

_"Right." Sasuke noticed how much she wanted to move past the topic and his brother did as well, "Why don't you go wash up?"_

_"I'll do that." She agreed and made her way back into the camp without another thought._

_Itachi sighed before scratching his head, looking pretty pale before Sasuke asked, "Was that the last one from the batch of White Fang you captured last month?"_

_"That's right." He nodded, "We'll have to try and capture another unit on the next mission we intercept."_

_"Why not ask Deidara? Isn't he out on one now?"_

_"He contacted me earlier to say they already finished. They couldn't have captured anyone even if they tried. The whole town was blown up." He looked at Itachi in shock, "One of the raid party detonated a bomb inside a Dust mine. They were all nearly killed in the explosion."_

_"Holy crap."_

_"I know." Itachi shared his surprise, "But that's not the worst part. Apparently this was another operation that was going to utilize the total fatality result like the last few have. Fortunately this was the first one we've been able to get in front of before it was too late. No fatalities as far as they've accounted."_

_"So they're really doing it." Sasuke muttered, "The White Fang are killing anyone they think deserves it."_

_"They've always done that, Sasuke." Itachi corrected, "They've just broadened their criteria for who deserves it."_

_Sasuke felt disgusted that people like this actually existed in the world. They weren't Faunus or people or whatever. They were monsters. Through and through they were the scum or Remnant. Sasuke looked back at the forest, "So have you finished him off yet?"_

_"Not yet." Itachi shook his head, "Guren still needs some time to collect herself after this recent session." Itachi took a deep breath, "Honestly, I could do the same."_

_Itachi walked back into the camp while Sasuke was left standing by the edge of the forest. Somewhere in there was a White Fang lieutenant that still needed to be finished. And Sasuke still had his weapon on him._

_He started making his way through the forest, following the tracks left by Itachi and Guren before he coming by a tree with a rope around its base. He found the White Fang lieutenant whose hands were secured by the robe around the tree. _

_Sasuke took notice of the results of Guren's interrogation from the multiple lacerations and piercing wounds the size of crystals over his body. Through her career as an assassin Guren had discovered multiple methods of inflicting crippling or fatal injury upon her target._

_And then there were the injuries made for suffering. Those injuries were the reason the interrogations were held outside the camp zone._

_This guy looked like he would barely be able to walk again, let alone fight if the chance arrived. Nails were missing from his hands and there were multiple stab wounds over his legs. He was probably delirious from the pain but he noticed Sasuke and flinched in fear, "N-n-no! No not again! T-they said they were done! I-I gave them everything I had s-so they said they were finished!"_

_"They were." Sasuke spoke firmly while gripping his sword, "But I'm here to put an end to you."_

_The man looked up at him with the same frightful eyes before they changed into something else. Disbelief. Mocking pity. A chortle escaped his bloody lips, "Y-you?" He coughed and laughed through his pain, "I can tell just by looking at you how green you are."_

_Sasuke didn't respond to his statement and just watched him in silence._

_"Have you ever been in a real fight before?" The Faunus' voice was weak but he looked up at him. A condescending smile on his face, "I bet you've never even killed anyone before."_

_"First time for everything."_

_"Hehehe, you look weak." The terrorist had the gall to chide him while he suffered on the ground of a forest in the middle of nowhere, "Those two from before? They were killers. They had it in their eyes. They enjoyed killing Faunus and they'll keeping doing it as long as they have fun."_

_"Shut up."_

_"And you don't look like you could stomach it!" He yelled with a disjointed voice before reeling back and shaking. The skittish lieutenant was obviously still broken from what Guren had done but he kept mocking Sasuke, "You look like it would break you."_

_"Was it easy for you?" Sasuke retorted, "How many people have you killed? Did you regret it? Any of them?"_

_"THEY DESERVED IT!"_

_"SHUT UP!"_

_Sasuke lashed out and his blade slashed up through the man's chest and shoulder. The Faunus screamed in agony as Sasuke quickly stepped back as he realized what he did. If the lieutenant's Aura was activated, then it was clearly drained if Guren's torture had left such a mark on him. The Faunus gasped for air and sobbed from the pain as Sasuke stood up to steel himself._

_He had to do this._

_If he could do this then he could prove to Itachi and the others that he was ready to fight alongside them. He had to control his fear...and finish it._

_As he prepared to started the execution, he noticed the White Fang lieutenant reach for something in his breast pocket with his teeth. Sasuke quickly realized that it might have been a suicide pill or some method of contacting the White Fang. He reached over and pushed the man's head aside before pulling out the contents, "NO! THAT'S NOT YOURS! YOU CAN'T TOUCH THAT!"_

_Sasuke quickly stepped back before the Faunus could bite him and looked down to see it was a photo. It was the man, probably many years younger because he still looked young in the photo. And he was holding a young girl in his arms that waved to the camera with a big smile._

_His daughter._

_Sasuke blinked in surprise before looking back at the broken lieutenant that hung his head and mumbled, "I-I need her. I need her. I have to get back to her. Get back to her. Worth it for her. All of it for her." He sobbed, "I-I need her."_

_His daughter? Was he doing all of this...for his daughter?_

_Sasuke looked back down at the photo before shaking his head. No! He had to clear his head. He needed to be decisive right now and couldn't afford to falter. He turned the photo over in his hand before kneeling down to slip it back into the lieutenant's pocket._

_That's when he heard something crack._

_"RAH!" The lieutenant threw a hand out at Sasuke as the young Uchiha stumbled back to evade the swipe to his eyes. The injured lieutenant forced himself up on his bloody legs and one hand hung limply at his side while the other was still bound with rope. He broke the fingers on one hand so that he could slip out of his binds. The remaining nails on his hands extended out in claws as he muttered, "Do it for her. Do it for her. Kill them for her. Kill them all for her. RAH!"_

_Sasuke quickly raised his blade to block the clawed hands that aimed for his face. The older man was panting and his eyes looked unfocused as Sasuke pushed him back. The Faunus stumbled back before lurching forward to tear out Sasuke's throat. But the young Uchiha held him back with a kick to the shoulder and knocked him back into another tree. The injured lieutenant slipped to the ground and Sasuke stepped up to slice his throat._

_But he found himself hesitating before he could finish it. The bloody Faunus was panting and moaning in pain against the tree trunk before he glared up at Sasuke. There was barely any fear or regret in the man's eyes. No dread or pain despite his lasting injuries as he merely had one thing on his mind._

_Hatred._

_**"Grrrrrrrrrrrrgh."**_

_Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized the feral, monstrous growl emanating behind them. He quickly turned around and saw a Beowolf stalk out of the darkness with a vicious snarl. It was large and had more bone armor on it than most Grimm they had encountered in the area._

_He tried figuring out how a Grimm got through the perimeter they set up before he realized what drew it here. His fear and this Faunus' whirlpool of emotion may as well have been an alarm to call any Grimm around to come get them. He felt so stupid letting emotion get the better of him in this situation but there wasn't any time for that._

_**"GWOR!"**_

_The Beowolf lunged at him and Sasuke parried its claw before blocking the other one. The beast chomped down towards his head but Sasuke changed its momentum so it slid off the sword and fell at his side. He kicked the Beowolf across the jaw and grabbed his shotgun sheath in order to end it with a fiery blast. But before he could pull the trigger the Grimm lashed out and knocked him back into a tree with the force of its swing._

_Sasuke hit the tree and gasped in pain as a purple light covered and disappeared around him. He fell to the ground and realized his Aura was gone now while the Grimm charged him. Sasuke grit his teeth and jumped back into a long stance as he chamber his sword by his shoulder and gripped his sheath firmly. As the Beowolf raised its arm to strike, Sasuke launched himself forward with the force of the blast and stabbed the blade through its head._

_The Beowolf let out one last dying gurgle before Sasuke pulled out his sword and watched the beast tumble over. He was catching his breath as the dying creature faded away into black dust._

_"IT WAS YOU!" Sasuke felt a piercing pain as the Faunus jumped him from behind and dug his claws into Sasuke's lower back. He screamed in pain as the lieutenant pulled his bloody fingers out and Sasuke collapsed into the grass. He quickly turned around and block the Faunus' hands as he tried to attack him on the ground, "I'LL KILL YOU!"_

_"Stop it you idiot!" Sasuke yelled back, "The Grimm will keep coming if you don't stop!"_

_"I'll kill you! Kill all of you! Have to do it for her! Have to make you suffer like she did!" He was too far gone, "YOU TOOK HER AWAY! I'LL MAKE YOU-"_

_Three gunshots echoed and the Faunus fell over Sasuke in a limp heap. Sasuke quickly pushed the dead body off of him and looked down at the blood stains over his clothes._

_W-why was this so familiar?_

_"Sasuke!" His brother dropped down beside him and looked him over, "What the hell did you do?! What happened?!"_

_"I-I'm sorry." He muttered, "I thought-"_

_"Itachi, the Grimm are coming!"_

_"Get back to the camp!" Itachi barked, "Grab what you can and get ready to move! We're relocating!"_

_"But-"_

_"Do it now!"_

_The others quickly headed back to the camp as Itachi lifted his brother up by the arm, "C'mon, we have to move before the Grimm charge in!" Sasuke flinched as his back cringed from the injury he sustained while Itachi took one arm over his shoulder, "It's okay. I've got you."_

_Sasuke looked back once more at the dead Faunus that would most likely be a meal for the growing rumble and growls charging from the forest. Wherever he may be now, accompanied by his daughter or not, Sasuke realized..._

_He was never going to be the one to end that man or his pain._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_The solitary room he was confined in was dark and lonely. Before this Naruto stayed in barracks along with all the other members on the island base. But now he had to be confined with armed guards at the door while the leaders decided how to handle his treason._

_Everything had gone to hell the moment they got back on the Bullhead._

_He was tackled by some of the other members while they picked Mizuki up and tried to fix his wound. There was a lot of blood seeping out and no matter what they did it didn't stop for good. Mizuki didn't help himself by constantly reopening it to maul Naruto while he was tied up in the corner._

_When they touched back down, a pale Mizuki was carried off to the infirmary while Naruto was detained in this room. He had lost track of time in here, with only a lightbulb and a plate of food and water given to him every few hours. If they felt like it they turned off the light and let him stare at the room with his night vision._

_No one had said anything to him and he was just waiting for someone to give him an answer. To decide what happened to him now that he had made it pretty clear he was no longer going along with the White Fang's plans. He had compromised his morals and destroyed peoples' lives in the name of the White Fang's mission._

_But he wasn't going to kill innocent people. He just couldn't._

_He looked down at his mask, the only thing they had left him with after they confiscated his weapons and pack. It was split in half, the other piece somewhere in that burning town while this one had splashes of blood over it. His shoulders trembled and he grit his teeth before spiking it across the room as he yelled at the top of his lungs. Once the rest of the mask broken against the wall he hugged his knees and sat in the darkness._

_..._

_After God knows how long, he heard the door of the room finally open and close._

_"I sent them away for a few minutes."_

_He looked and was surprised to see his mother standing by the door. She turned and stared at him in silence through her mask. If this were any other situation he would have used the chance to run in and hug her as much as physically possible. _

_But this time he just asked, "Mizuki?"_

_"He's alive. But they couldn't save his arm. So even when he's back up on his feet, he won't be a field agent anymore." She crossed her arms and walked around the empty room before noticing the mask he finished breaking, "There are a lot of people on that mission that are complaining that he was acting irrationally. Losing his composure and detonating a bomb not only while you were all in blast range, but while some of our men were still planting them. Some think losing an arm is enough of a punishment but that's still being discussed." She was quiet before looking at him, "They're more focused on you right now."_

_"And what have they decided?"_

_"A lot of people are demanding punishment. You committed treason and that is not a simple crime." She said with a neutral tone like she wasn't telling her son people wanted his head, "Adam in particular. He thinks insubordination like this should be answered with blood. Danzō on the other hand...says we don't need to go that far."_

_That sounded to good to be true coming from a monster like Danzō._

_"He thinks you could be a model soldier if you had some proper conditioning."_

_There it was._

_Torture. The same kind of stuff that weasel put his mother and Adam through to turn them into loyal followers._

_"I can't kill people, Mom." Naruto told her, "I just can't. Not for this cause."_

_"I know. But if you go through his training...you'll do anything. Whether you want to or not."_

_It was sickening to imagine having to go through anything with that monster but..._

_"Fine." Naruto muttered as he stood up and squared his shoulders, "If he wants to push me then he can try."_

_The room was silent before she asked, "You're willing to go through his conditioning? Do you have any idea what it will do to you?"_

_"I have a pretty good idea." He remembered what Adam said about it as he gulped and nodded his head, "But if I can keep living and stay here then that's the best option." Naruto made up his mind, knowing that the regeneration his Semblance gave him even now would be able to keep him together through anything Danzō had to offer, "I promise it'll be okay, Mom. I'll keep fighting and protecting you from whatever this place throws at us. Just wait a little longer and I promise I'll..."_

_He stopped when he saw her cover her mouth while facing him. His voice failed him as he saw the tears leaking out the bottom of her mask and cascading down her cheeks. Her shoulders heaved a few times before she gasped and reached up, finally pulling off the mask to face him. Only for him to see her red puffy eyes._

_She finally found her voice and wiped the tears, "Is this what happened to you?" She sobbed a little more before shaking her head, "Is this what I've made you become?"_

_He gulped, "W-what?"_

_"This?" She reiterated like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, "You've had to change so much to try and save me. You've had to do things you never wanted to do - hurt people you never should have hurt - because you thought you were protecting me. Because I didn't stop you from coming onto that ship. I think back to the little boy from that day...and the you now..." She shivered and cried, "And I can't believe you're the same person."_

_"M-Mom?" Naruto stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, "Mom, please don't cry-"_

_She went in and wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry!" She sobbed and shook in his arms, "You never should have been a part of this. You never should have had to do any of the things Danzō made you do! You're not a monster like us."_

_Naruto couldn't find anything to say. He trembled as well as he felt his eyes water, "D-don't say that Mom." His arms tightened around her as he found some security in this fear by being in her arms again, "Please don't say that."_

_"It's true." She whimpered before pulling back and looking up at him, "You don't belong here. And that's a good thing." She wiped her eyes, "You were never supposed to be a part of this, Naruto. You were always going to be someone who could change this world in the light. Not from the darkness. And you'll never be able to help while you're stuck here, or getting swayed by Danzō." She narrowed her eyes, "You need to leave his place. Now."_

_He grabbed her arms, "Let's both go. We can head back to Dad." He didn't care about the consequences right now because he just wanted them to get away from this place as fast as possible, "We don't need to stay here anymore!"_

_"Yes. Yes I do." _

_He furiously yelled, "No! Mom, you aren't like these guys! They don't want equality or superiority or whatever! They just want to kill! They want genocide! They told us to kill all the people in that town-"_

_"And I helped pass that order."_

_She took advantage of his silence to continue, "I can't tell anymore whether it's because Danzō wanted it or if I did. I didn't think I hated humans anymore...b-but I'm scared about what might happen if I see your father again." Her voice cracked before she took a deep breath and looked at him, "This place still hasn't changed you forever. Now don't let it get the chance."_

_"Mom-"_

_She grabbed his head and pulled him down to lay a kiss on his forehead, "I love you. Never forget that." She released him and stepped over to the door before opening it up. She lingered there for a moment, reaching down to her pocket for her mask before looking back at him one last time..._

_"I'm sorry."_

_She walked out before he got a chance to say anything. He stood their in stunned silence before noticing the door bounce when it hit the frame. He grabbed the doorknob before carefully opening it and peeking outside. No guards or sentries, being sent off after his mother had ordered them to leave. She was nowhere in sight, and neither was anyone else._

_He looked down and saw something jamming the door lock. He pulled it out to see it was a chunk of the mask he had broken._

_This was the chance she was giving him._

_A chance to escape._

_He tossed the piece back in the room before walking out and closing it behind him. He carefully maneuvered his way down the hall and made sure to stop when people passed by._

_Escaping this place was easier said than done when he was stranded on an island between Atlas and Mistral. And his healing wasn't gonna do much if he starved to death in a stolen boat._

_He decided to dip into the supplies and inventory before leaving. He grabbed some provisions, an inflatable boat, and some drinking water for the trip. Once he had that all stuffed in a duffle bag he decided to make his way to the boats._

_He walked through the hall before coming up to the corner of the weapons depot. He heard voices and stopped just shy of rounding it before peeking around the corner. He saw two guys running inventory as they locked away the guns and sabers until they were next needed. Naruto was ready to double back before he saw one of them pick something up from the counter._

_His short blade and katana._

_They were going to put them away in the inventory until it was decided what to do with them. But he had a change in plans. He wasn't leaving until he got those back._

_"Hey!"_

_Naruto froze and looked over his shoulder to see another member approaching him from behind. He recognized Naruto, "I know you. You're the guy that attacked your own team, right? How'd you get out?" Naruto didn't answer him as the older Faunus reached out and grabbed his collar, "Well you aren't going-"_

_Naruto mule kicked the man's sternum and forced him back as his collar was pulled. Naruto turned and let his White Fang vest slip over his head as the older Faunus was left stumbling backwards in surprise. The blond reached out and grabbed the man's arm before pulling him around and slamming his face into the wall._

_"Hey, did you hear that?"_

_One of the inventory checkers asked as Naruto dropped the unconscious man in his grasp. He took a sharp breath before running around the corner and sprinting towards them. The two saw him coming and panicked, reaching for whatever they could to help. But unfortunately he was quick as he vaulted over the counter and landed both feet into one's chest, knocking him back into the wall. Before the other one could grab his gun Naruto pulled out his kodachi and fired several compact arrows into his last opponent._

_With them unconscious, Naruto grabbed his weapons and went back for his duffle bag. He ran out the door and came out to the powerful gust of wind coming out from the sea. The blond looked around before spotting the direction he remembered the boats were being kept._

_But a deafening alarm blared out across the island as lights turned on all over. They knew he had escaped, and they were gonna start looking for him now. He sprinted for the docks before coming over a hill to see them._

_But there were already people there, and they were pulling out their weapons now. They were going to attack anyone they thought was suspicious and deny access until this alarm was over. And with him carrying supplies and no longer dressed like a White Fang member, he knew he wasn't getting past._

_He double backed and stayed along the walls as he saw people running out of the buildings to find him. They were barking orders to capture him alive, and Naruto knew what awaited him if he caught._

_Finally he reached a cliff looking over the ocean as all his other routes were blocked off with waves of White Fang members. He looked out over the side and saw the waves crashing against the cliffside violently before looking back at the base. The search groups were coming closer and closer while he was now stuck at a dead-end._

_Naruto looked back over the side and out to the ocean._

_What were his chances?_

_Slim survival out at sea._

_But with Danzō?_

_The young teen took a shaky breath before stepping back to give himself some running room. He reached into his bag and pulled out the inflatable boat tucked it under his arm. His eyes focused and he took a deep breath before sprinting for the edge. He dove off the side and fixed himself in air so his legs would lead him in._

_And he hit the waves hard._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Sasuke sat up in his tent and looked off in thought. He pushed himself up on his feet, ignoring the pain from the healing injury on his back as he grabbed his shirt. He pulled it over the bandages around his lower stomach and grabbed his Uchiha jacket._

_Walking out and looking over the new camp site, he saw everyone making their new beds. It was much smaller, and less extravagant since they had to leave some of their supplies back at the other site before the Grimm swarmed them._

_It was his fault they had to move and leave so much behind to escape._

_He risked all their lives because he let that deranged lieutenant get worse and worse without finishing him off._

_And even with some time to think, Sasuke wasn't certain he would have been able to kill that man._

_Before the encounter Sasuke saw every White Fang member as a black-hearted monster. Scum of the world. People that found joy in hurting the innocent, like the redhead bull._

_But now...now he doubted that image._

_They were still evil. They were terrorist bringing harm and misfortune to people all around Remnant...but now he saw them differently. Wrong and corrupted...but people too._

_And his earlier conviction to fight and kill whatever opponent they face...seemed to falter so easily now._

_But he still wanted to help Itachi and the others._

_"Still can't believe you risked taking a photo while the whole town was erupting around you."_

_"I kept my cool. Can't say the same for some of those White Fang guys. I heard most of them scream. I think one of them even attacked their own guy."_

_"What, a coup?"_

_"No idea, but if these are the kind of people the White Fang are willing to entrust, we should worry about how many more towns might go up in flames."_

_Deidara was back from his mission, and he was meeting with the others to discuss their next move. He heard Raiga speak up, "So do we have a pattern yet?"_

_"Just more points to add along the paths." He stopped just outside the tent and heard his brother speak, "With the ones from Deidara's photo, matched with other locations we've spotted them attack, we see they mostly strike areas along the shores of Atlas and Mistral. That can help us better prepare for any more attacks by this group, but there are still more attacks happening in Atlas' mainland and one just occurred over in Vacuo."_

_"I suppose it would just be too easy if they all worked out from just one location."_

_"Damn." Sasuke heard something akin to fatigue in Deidara's voice, "It's moments like this that make me realize we're really trying to take down a giant."_

_"And it's not getting any easier."_

_"So right now we don't focus on beating the giant down. We focus on hitting as many of its weak points as possible. We're sending out another group of scouts."_

_"Already?"_

_"Yes." Itachi answered her, "Get in contact with our transporters. We're gonna need flights to every major city we can get to. Mistral, Vale, anywhere we might have connections. And get some funds for them too."_

_"Okay, but how about who to send? I mean volunteers would be pretty nice-"_

_"I'll go." He spoke up and walked through the opening for Itachi and the others to see him. Guren and Raiga probably noticed his presence but Deidara and Itachi were too focused, "I volunteer if you'll have me."_

_Itachi looked surprised to see him, "Should you be up already-"_

_"It's a flesh wound. It's fine." It would scar but he refused to let it sideline him, "Let me go out scouting too. I can at least help identify other members and where they might strike next."_

_Itachi looked conflicted and not too convinced by his words, "Sasuke, you aren't used to espionage."_

_"I've learnt techniques like that from Guren, and how to avoid a tail from Deidara." He answered, "Please let me do this."_

_"I don't-"_

_"I know I screwed up." He stepped forward and admitted, "I thought I could handle that guy but I froze." He waved out to the rest of the camp, "This is my fault. I know that. And you were right, I wasn't ready for this fight as I had thought. But I need to be. I can't just be a spectator."_

_He had to know if he could do this. Or if he was just dead weight._

_"Please let me try."_

_Itachi still looked conflicted and turned to the others for their opinion. But they just looked at their leader in silence as if he knew what they had to say. Itachi looked back at his brother..._

_"I'm sending you to Vytal. And you should wear a cloak, hide yourself from prying eyes." Sasuke just nodded as the others smiled. Itachi reached back before sliding something over the table to him, "Take a book with you. That'll help you spot any of them that might be undercover."_

_The 'bingo' book - as Deidara unfortunately named it - was their group's way of tracking and hunting White Fang members. The pictures they had taken from various missions were documented in it, along with any other additional information they had gathered._

_"Sasuke," He looked back up to see his brother's anxious face before he smiled and nodded to him, "Good luck."_

_Sasuke nodded back before looking back at his book. He flipped through page after page of possible targets._

_And passed the picture of a blond fox with half his face covered in blood._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"Okay, this is it. The Vytal docks." The ship came to a halt at the dockyard and the captain looked back at him, "This is as far as I can take ya. We're heading to Vacuo after this-"_

_"It's fine." Naruto hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder and gave his thanks to the burly captain, "Thanks for taking me here."_

_"Well I ain't much for unwanted passengers, but you did carry your weight with the ship so it worked out." Naruto walked down the ramp for the pier, "Kid, where ya going anyway?"_

_Naruto didn't answer him because he didn't have an answer to give. He nearly drowned jumping off that cliff and it was by some miracle he swam back up and opened that boat. His boat was able to float away from the island base and by the next morning he realized he survived the manhunt._

_But then came the realization that he was floating out at sea on a small boat. Some of his supplies had been ruined in the water, and soon enough he found himself adrift._

_Luckily it didn't take long for a boat to find and pick him up. A few of the crew were wary to allow him on board, either because he was a stranger with two swords in a bag or because he was a Faunus. But the captain had the final say and allowed him on board as long as he helped. He even got a few Lien as a reward for a job well done._

_But now he had to decide what he was going to do next. He was here in Vytal but there weren't many options for him to follow. He was low on money. The White Fang could still be looking for him. His father..._

_He'd...hold off on calling him for now. Just until he could get his feet back on the ground._

_His stomach growled and he was quick to slam it. He couldn't bother getting hungry right now. He didn't have much Lien and he couldn't waste it buying food. Sorry belly, but you'd have to power through for a little bit longer._

_He walked off the pier and came out into a market filled with people. He tried to look inconspicuous while making his way through the crowd but he felt like everyone was staring at him. He probably wasn't helping matters, looking angry and carrying a strange bag over his shoulder._

_But he had to focus on moving right now-_

_"Ah!"_

_"Eh!"_

_He was so distracted thinking that he didn't notice the girl that crossed his path. He bumped into her and they both went tumbling into the street, her bag spilling across the ground. Naruto quickly picked himself up and looked at the girl he knocked over before picking up her supplies, "Sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" He grabbed most of the apples and greens before they got dirty, "I didn't-"_

_"N-no, it's fine." The girl assured him while picking up her bag and taking the food he handed to her, "I wasn't paying attention either." She didn't seem angry or annoyed after getting knocked over as she calmly stood up after everything was together, "No harm, no foul."_

_"Okay, that's good." He was relieved she wasn't blaming him or making a scene. With a moment to calm down Naruto took the chance to look the strange girl over. She wore a long green cloak with the hood up which along with her long brown hair obscured most of her face. He did notice her darker complexion, and the little beauty mark under her left eye. He thought she looked out of place in a market by the pier. He scratched his head and ears before nodding, "Well, bye then-"_

_"Are you okay?" She asked with genuine concern, "You look really tired."_

_He wasn't surprised considering everything he had gone through in the last few days. Being wanted and escaping the biggest terrorist organization on the planet left him pretty knackered. He rubbed his eyes before she asked, "Are you hungry?"_

_"I'm fine. Nothing I can't-"_

_Of course his stomach took this chance to betray him and rumble loud enough for people passing by to hear it. He sighed and covered his gut before he heard her giggling. She reached into her bag and pulled out one of the apples before holding it out for him, "Here, you can have this."_

_He shook his head, "You don't-"_

_"It's really no problem." A small smile appeared under her hood, "Please take it."_

_He sighed before turning back to her, "Listen, you don't need to bother with me. Giving me that apple is just a waste of your money."_

_"I don't think so. It'll help you and that seems good enough." She held it out closer to him, "You may need the strength."_

_..._

_He took the fruit and stood there looking at it before she smiled and walked past him. Naruto watched that strange girl walk away as his eyes focused in on her retreating figure. Something about that girl...was strange._

_He took a bite of the apple and couldn't help feel relieved with the delicious taste. Strange or not, that lady picked some nice apples._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Sasuke couldn't believe his luck. He couldn't call it coincidence because it was just to impossible to deny the fortune of having found a target so quickly._

_Amongst the crowds and swarms of people, Sasuke spotted a blond with fox ears on his head. He looked identical to the one in the bingo book - sans the uniform and blood-splattered face. He was dressed in civilian clothes to blend in better and was carrying a duffle bag over his shoulder, probably carrying a weapon or an important package._

_He might be planning an attack, or meeting up with others from the White Fang, or even just taking a holiday. But it didn't matter because he was going to keep following him until he got an answer._

_Sasuke remembered Guren's lessons and kept a fair distance away from his target. He still had a beige cloak to cover his body and weapon, and made sure not to draw attention to himself in the crowd. He had to pick up the pace when he saw his target move a little faster. They rounded a few corners, stopped off and crossed the street before walking again._

_Focusing on reconnaissance for now was the goal. If a battle were to occur that was fine, but just tailing was his main objective for now._

_He saw the blond fox turn a corner and Sasuke sped up before stopping at the turn. He peeked around the side to see a long alley going between almost a dozen buildings...but no Faunus._

_Where'd he-_

_Sasuke's instincts kicked in and he quickly reached for his blade as something dropped down behind him. He stopped reaching when a blade was pressed under his throat and he was forced further into the alley so no one would see._

_"Who are you?"_

_The blond Faunus inquired while making sure the blade didn't slip from his throat. When he refused to respond the fox pressed the blade up higher, "Don't play silent now. I don't appreciate being followed and I'm not in the mood to be ignored."_

_Sasuke still didn't answer but looked over his shoulder to glare at his captive. The whiskered teen grew more impatient and pushed him forward before grabbing the back of his cloak. Sasuke sighed as the Faunus stared at the symbol on his jacket before the cloak fell back into place, "The Uchiha. Really didn't think you'd find me this fast. Like...that's not even fair how fast it was."_

_Sasuke raised his brow in confusion before the Faunus maneuvered around him and unsheathed Vollamond from his side. His eyes narrowed at the thought that this man was stealing his blade before the Faunus warned him, "Leave. Leave and don't tell anybody you saw me. I promise not to chase you or follow you to your friends if you-"_

_Sasuke knocked the blade away and aimed his sheath at the boy behind him. He heard a curse before pulling the trigger and releasing a powerful blast point blank. He felt the end of his shotgun get knocked aside a moment before firing but he kicked back into the blond's chest to knock him off his feet._

_He turned around and stomped on the arm that gripped his family's sword. The blond groaned and showed his teeth while Sasuke took his blade back. He stood over the downed Faunus and leveled his blade to the blond's face, "Your mistake was thinking I would just comply and walk away. And don't touch my sword-"_

_The blond jerked up and fired a barrage of compact arrows from his hilt. Sasuke had to quickly deflect what he could with his blade before the arm beneath his foot was pulled out and he staggered. The Faunus swept his leg out and Sasuke fell to the ground. He saw the fox crouch before leaping at him with his kodachi out, but Sasuke quickly threw off his cloak and tossed it at the Faunus. The blond was blinded by the brown cloak and Sasuke rolled away as he tumbled past him. He turned around with his sword ready as the blond tossed off the cloak._

_The Faunus quickly reached into his bag and pulled out a katana before kicking the duffle away. He slowly stood up, kodachi in one hand and a katana in the other. His eyes focused intently on Sasuke as his eyes narrowed in return. The younger Uchiha slowly stood and took a stance, raising his blade to match his opponent._

_They both dashed with a roar. Sasuke brought his blade down and the fox brought his up to block it. Sasuke pushed forward and the Faunus found himself being overpowered before slipping the blades aside and going for the Uchiha's head. Sasuke knocked the two blades back and put some distance between them. _

_They furiously swung their blades, steel clashing against steel and sparks flying across the alley as the two tried to get an advantage on each other. Sasuke knew he had the upper hand with swordsmanship and skill when he easily parried the blond's attacks. But the blond avoided his blade as much as possible, retreating and even leaping off the walls to escape his reach._

_Sasuke pressed forward, catching him on a landing and knocking him over when he blocked his blade. The blond fell but quickly spun on the ground and Sasuke had to leap up to avoid the blade to his legs. He dropped and brought his blade down as the fox rolled out of the way. He got up on his knees and actually threw his katana at Sasuke, forcing him to stop and dodge._

_This was apparently long enough for him to charge into Sasuke and lock his sword with his short blade. The blond locked Sasuke's elbows down to push him back before kicking out his leg and pulling him off his stance. Sasuke quickly caught his footing and ran further down the alley. He looked back and saw the blond reclaim his katana before chasing after him._

_Sasuke cocked Reflexion and came around the side of a dumpster before firing a blast. The dumpster flew off its wheels and barreled through the alley at the blond. Sasuke couldn't see his opponent's reaction but he did see the blond jump off the wall and vault over the oncoming dumpster. That was impressive but it also provided him a chance to attack as he dashed forward._

_The blond landed but had to quickly lean back to avoid the blade tip coming at his head. The move was so fast that he fell back and Sasuke swung his sword down to catch him. The fox brought up his sword to block it but Sasuke's followed through and left a cut in his leg. The blond gasped in pain as Sasuke pulled out his sheath and aimed the shotgun at his head._

_"WRAH!" The blond held out both hilts and fired a rapid series of arrows that Sasuke had to quickly avoid. He started flipping backwards as he heard arrows fly through the air to catch him before he was out of range._

_He looked over at his enemy and saw the whiskered boy was holding his leg as some blood seeped out the wound. Sasuke was shocked to see that he had actually left an injury, and that if he could that meant his spry adversary didn't even have his Aura unlocked, "I'm surprised you were able to hold out this long without having Aura. But you'll be killed if we continue like this. Surrender, and tell me everything you know, and I promise not to kill you."_

_"Hehehe." The Faunus found his threat amusing as he somehow stood up despite the injury. He stood on it like it was nothing and Sasuke quickly noticed the skin had healed over where the cut had been. The blond smirked, "It's gonna take a lot more than that to kill me."_

_Sasuke was wary of his adversary now, apparently he didn't have natural protection from Aura but he had something else to heal his wounds. Was his Semblance Regeneration or something? Whatever it was he didn't feel like being clueless in the middle of the fight. He narrowed his eyes, "I promise I can give you a lot more. You might even have to pull out a Semblance before you get hurt too bad."_

_The blond glared before chuckling, "Believe me, you aren't ready to handle something like that just yet."_

_That's it. He couldn't risk him using an unknown Semblance to gain the advantage while they fought. Which left him just one option. He had to use Mirror and copy the Semblance himself. His eyes turned red as he focused on mimicking the blond's ability. He'd take a moment to figure out what it was before-_

_"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Sasuke yelled as his mind started going blank and he felt his Aura swell. The Faunus looked shocked as well as Sasuke fell to his hands and knees while his body started emanating a purple glow. Sasuke felt his consciousness start to slip before he deactivated Mirror and the purple glow vanished around him, "W-what the hell-"_

_The blond came over and kicked him under the chin. He fell and the Faunus quickly pinned him down before striking him over and over. Sasuke barely had a moment to think before being punched again as he was getting closer to being knocked out. He grit his teeth through the beating before reaching down and pulling the trigger._

_They were both knocked away by the force of the explosion and separated during the blast. He quickly picked himself up and spit up some blood before tackling the blond to the ground. The two exchanged punches and knees, Sasuke trying to incapacitate the Faunus while he tried knocking him out in return._

_The whiskered boy yelled and forced his knee up into Sasuke's rib before lifting and pushing him off. Sasuke somersaulted back on his feet and quickly jumped back when a sword swing went for his head._

_They had finally reached the end of the alley and came out into the street. Sasuke heard people mutter and gasp at the sight of their fighting as cars started screeching to a halt. The blond emerged from the alley and held his weapons at his side as Sasuke lowered his stance. They were both breathing heavily, Sasuke's Aura taking a dip from the beating as the blond healed from his bruises._

_The Faunus yelled and charged him-_

_The horn honked so loud that they both stopped to see the truck coming down the street. The Faunus stopped and jumped back onto the sidewalk but Sasuke was still in the middle of the street. The truck swerved and turned into the street as Sasuke dropped to the ground to slip under the unit. It passed over his head before clearing and crashing into a building. Sasuke looked over at the destruction the vehicle had caused as the back of the container broke open and some robots spilled over._

_He lifted himself up and looked over at the fox to see he had been floored by the truck's wild swerve as well. Itachi glared and prepared to attack again-_

_"Fire!"_

_Part of the car's engine had started bursting up in flames and climbing up the building walls. He heard screaming from the people in the street as they started running away as fast as they could. He looked between the crashed truck and the panting Faunus as the screaming became louder and louder. Sasuke grit his teeth before sprinting to the truck before it was too late._

_He ignored the heat from the burning engine and pulled the door off to see the unconscious driver. Sasuke quickly cut the seat belt off and grabbed the man under his arm to lift him out. He pulled him onto the sidewalk as the rest of the truck burst up in flames._

_"Out! Get out now!"_

_"Move!"_

_"Is anyone still in there?!"_

_He gasped for breath before looking over at the burning building. People were running out the door and trying to help others get out before the flames got too big._

_Oh god. It was an apartment building. _

_Sasuke immediately dashed across the street and ran through the door despite the protests of people outside. The moment he entered he was overwhelmed by the smoke and heat consuming one half of the building. He felt his eyes start to dry up but behind the crackling fire he heard screams from the upper floors. He covered his mouth to pass through the smoke and ran up the stairs where the voices were louder. He heard them behind a door and quickly knocked it down to find a scared family, "Come on! Come on! Cover your mouths and get downstairs!"_

_He went door to door to help anyone he found escape before the fires overtook the second floor. And when that floor was cleared he went up to the third one to find the people gathering together but frightened about the chaos. He barked orders for them to follow him as he led them down and into the fire. The flames had grown drastically and had already started to encompass the second floor as they hesitated behind him. _

_The smoke was making it difficult to breathe but he activated Mirror and increased his visual ability to peer through the smoke. He took the first steps forward, making sure the ground was still solid and wouldn't give away if people came running down. But something snapped and broke over him as a banister finally gave and came dropping down. Sasuke unsheathed his blade and sliced through the beam before it hit. He felt the entire building start to sway as he yelled to the people in the stairwell, "Come on! We have to go!"_

_They were scared but they did muster the courage to run down to the bottom floor and get out the door. Sasuke brought up the back of the group and when he got out he gasped for air. He staggered and coughed violently as the fresh air mixed with the smoke in his system. He noticed cop cars had arrived and were keeping civilians out of a perimeter before the fire could be contained._

_"Wait! My daughter! My daughter's in there!"_

_Sasuke looked up to see a Faunus trying to push through the barricade and yell, "Please, she's still in there! Please!"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened before he went running back in without another thought. The heat and smoke were more intense than before as most of the interior was ablaze now. He covered his mouth with his jacket and started calling out for anyone to answer. After a few moments calling out on each level he thought he might be too late-_

_"H-help! Help me."_

_It was faint but he heard a voice. He busted through a door and struggled to keep his focus before he saw an open closet at the side. He ran over and found a little girl cradled in the corner under the smoke. Sasuke quickly kneeled down and prepared to pick her up before a burst of flames shot out over their heads. She screamed in fear and cowered as he pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her for extra protection._

_He picked the shorter girl up and started carrying her out the room. He ran the stairs as quickly as he could while his vision started to blur and breathing became labored. But he pushed forward, knowing the girl's life was in his hand. He ran through the smoke and flames before spotting the exit._

_But he heard the sound of stone cracking and breaking beside him. His eyes widened as he looked up to see the wall collapsing over them. He thought about going for his sword but that meant dropping the girl and he wasn't sure how much more she could take. His Aura was failing and she probably didn't have hers unlocked, but he still shielded her._

_But nothing happened._

_He looked up in surprise to see the wall lean over a little more but stopping just short of hitting them. He looked over in shock to see the blond Faunus was holding the wall up from the bottom by supporting it with his shoulder. He gasped and pushed through the pain before yelling, "GO!"_

_Sasuke stalled and noticed the Faunus was starting to glow orange. He quickly sprinted for the door as he heard the fox scream, "WRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_There was a crashing, and then a rush of fire behind him before part of the building collapsed._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_"Young lady, can you tell me anything about the men you saw come into the building to help you?"_

_"No. I couldn't see very well when they saved me."_

_"And what about that jacket you were wearing? Can you tell us anything about it before it caught on fire."_

_"Can you please just leave her alone. I don't know who they were but they saved us."_

_Only after putting them in that situation in the first place. _

_Naruto took a few deep breaths as he hid further into the alley to avoid the cops or any other wandering eyes. He wasn't sure running back in there and using his Semblance was the right move, but when had that ever stopped him before?_

_He flinched and looked down to see his arm was still healing from the burns of stopping that wall and still needed time to heal. But he had to move with some urgency, considering that Uchiha had slipped away and could be anywhere right now._

_He came over behind a garbage can and found his weapons lying by the ground. He sighed in relief and reached down with his good hand-_

_Just to stop as a blade positioned itself beneath his chin._

_He slowly stood back up and gulped before looking back to see the black-haired teen behind him, face covered in ash and soot. Naruto looked at him in silence before a tired chuckle escaped, "You know...for a second there...I really thought I got away."_

_The Uchiha member didn't answer him and kept the blade at his throat._

_"If it matters...I'm not with the White Fang anymore. I can't be used as a hostage and I don't have any information to give. I didn't come here to meet with anyone else. But if that doesn't matter..." Naruto took a steady breath and closed his eyes, "Then do what you do."_

_"Why?" Naruto opened his eyes and looked back at him, "Why did you run in there to help me?"_

_"Because the fire was our fault." Naruto answered, "You were trying to help those people...and I had to do the same."_

_"Why?"_

_"I don't know." Naruto groaned, "Because they needed help. You did too - look, are you just gonna keep asking me questions or what?"_

_..._

_The brunette slowly lowered the blade from his neck and slid it back in its sheath. Naruto...honestly didn't expect that to be the result of this little confrontation. He stared the boy over before turning to look at him._

_"I'm Sasuke Uchiha."_

_"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."_

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_Sasuke looked down over the street and watched the rising smoke from the building fire that had been quelled. The cops were getting testimonies from the apartment residents and the people that watched on the streets. Some of the people that were praising them for their heroics not too long ago were now demanding their heads for causing the fire. That was probably a fair reaction considering they just burnt down their home._

_But the driver of the truck was furious as the medics sewed the cut in his head. He was yelling and ranting and demanding they be caught as soon as possible. Something about his boss not being happy to see such a huge shipment of AK units get destroyed in the fire._

_What business needed so many armed robots anyway?_

_Worst part of it was when he saved that little girl his jacket burned up. Along with his bingo book, he had nothing left to go back with._

_"I'm back!"_

_Naruto walked over with a bag filled with snacks from a store not too far away. He was wearing the brown cloak Sasuke dropped during their fight to conceal his features and his partially burnt clothes. He stepped over the pile of their weapons and sat down by the Uchiha, searching through the bag and finding a sandwich. His stomach rumbled and he smacked his lips, "I am starving!"_

_Sasuke watched him take a few savory bites of his meal before raising an eyebrow, "Where's mine?"_

_"Oh." Naruto's eyes widened, "Sorry, I didn't realize you wanted one." Sasuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance before Naruto held out the bag, "There's a yogurt in there." Sasuke looked at him skeptically before taking the bag and taking the yogurt. He grabbed the back of the brown cloak and wiped his face clean before pulling up the tap._

_He scooped up some yogurt, "So how are you not a part of the White Fang, exactly?"_

_Naruto took another bite, "In the way that I disagree with their methods, attacked my fellow member, accused of treason, and then busted my way out to escape."_

_Sasuke silently looked out over the town, "If you disagree with their methods then why help in the first place?"_

_"To help my mother." Sasuke looked at him in surprise, "But I failed. And now she's stuck there with those monsters and I can't do anything to help her."_

_"Why would she need your help-"_

_"Actually, your turn." Naruto cut him off, "You called yourself Sasuke Uchiha, right? Do you just really like the name or something?"_

_He shook his head, "No. My real name is Sasuke Uchiha. And I'm one of the last Uchiha in the world."_

_Naruto was silenced, "Oh. Um...I didn't think there were any Uchiha left."_

_"There aren't many. But I'm one of them." _

_"Alright then," Naruto raised his brow curiously, "So why would a genuine Uchiha not only let me go, but also just sit here and have lunch as well?"_

_Sasuke stopped eating and lowered his hands as he looked out over the buildings again. He sat silently and Naruto thought he had asked the question he shouldn't have before he spoke, "I'm starting to realize that I may not be as prepared or even capable for this fight as I thought. I question every move I make. I think back to all the people my group has killed and wonder just how many of them were really just cold-blooded killers? I think about all the people I live with and call family and realize...that they might not be the true heroes I always believed they were." He closed his eyes, "And that terrifies me."_

_"Sorry to hear that." Naruto finished off his sandwich before clapping the crumbs off his hands, "So what are you gonna do now? What do you think your followers will say if you went back doubting them like this?"_

_"I don't know." Sasuke answered with a low groan, "I think...I think I need some time to think about my next course of action. What I can do to help my family." Sasuke ate the last of his food before looking at Naruto, "What about you? What are you going to do next?"_

_"No idea." Naruto sighed as he leaned back on the roof, "I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do next." No White Fang. No human allies. His dad...Naruto took a deep breath and shrugged, "Think I'll just wander around for a bit. Try to avoid the White Fang and Uchiha for as long as I can. See how well that works for me."_

_..._

_"We could work together?"_

_"Sorry?" Naruto cleaned out all four ears, "I'm still hearing a burning sound. That or I must be going crazy because I thought I heard you say something about working together?"_

_"Look," Sasuke frowned, "I've never, actually, been anywhere in the Kingdoms without my brother. We were always together and he handled most of the business so I'm...unfamiliar with the how to do things." He relented with a groan before shrugging, "And if we work together I can act as your protection."_

_Naruto scoffed, "I don't need a bodyguard."_

_"Well I nearly beat you so I think you could use the extra help."_

_"I don't know what fight you were part of..." Naruto paused before his shoulders sagged, "But considering who I'm hiding from I guess some help wouldn't hurt." He started pulling on his hair, "Ugh, it's impossible to hide when people recognize my ears and whiskers. Damn my good looks, huh?"_

_"We didn't know you had whiskers."_

_Naruto blinked before looking at his companion, "What?"_

_"The photo I used to recognize you," Sasuke answered, "Half your face was covered in a mask and the other half in blood. I noticed you by your hair and ears."_

_Naruto thought for a moment before standing up and walking over the roof. He smiled and grabbed the brown cloak. He tore off a piece of the cloth and pulled his hood down before tying it over his head. Once the makeshift bandana was finished, he turned and smiled for Sasuke, "Tada!"_

_"You tied a soot-covered rag over your head." Sasuke dryly noted, "Is that supposed to be impressive?"_

_"You don't like fun, do you?" The whiskered boy pointed before he saw Sasuke stand up and walk over to face him. They stood in silence for a few tense moments before Naruto took a deep breath and held out his hand, "Partners."_

_Sasuke reached out but Naruto quickly pulled it back, "You know this is just until we figure out what to do ourselves, right? And I really, really don't want to be working with you."_

_Sasuke scowled, "No worries. The feeling's mutual."_

_The two slowly reached and took hands before shaking. They nodded as they came to an agreement, working together until they figured out what they did next._

_Partners...for now._

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

Nora clapped, "That. Was. Awesome. Could've used more fight scenes and snapping the tiger jerk's knees but still pretty cool."

Naruto chuckled at the plucky girl's response before looking around at the expressions of the others. They ranged from surprised to relieved to tired from how long it had been since they had eaten breakfast. The only ones that looked displeased after hearing their stories were Weiss and Ren for some reason.

"Wow. That was," Kiba raised his brow, "Enlightening. Definitely explained a lot."

"If you want us to continue-"

"I think we can leave just a little bit more for the next story time." Kiba noted before he smiled and nodded between them, "Thanks for telling us all that."

"Okay, so we're done now, right?" Weiss asked impatiently while pointing to the door, "Can we get going now?"

"What's wrong with you Weiss?" Blake asked, "I thought you'd be glad to hear their side of it."

"It's not that we are upset about what they told us. It's just," Ren rubbed his eyes, "That story - while much appreciated - was longer than we had anticipated."

"What do you mean?"

"He means we came here to get breakfast before the closing speech by Professor Ozpin and the other teachers." Weiss bristled, "And now we missed literally the only other thing we had to do before the semester was over."

...

They all took out their Scrolls to see the time and noticed the speech had probably finished by now."

Ruby gulped and nervously laughed, "E-ehehehe, oops."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**Okay, and that was Naruto and Sasuke's past. Been leading up a very long time to this encounter and it's finally done.**_

_**That's it. No more hiding. At this point I think I've revealed everything they've been hiding, and the only things left is the stuff they're not aware of.**_

_**And with this, I've moved on from their pasts and focus instead on characters to come.**_

_**I hoped you enjoyed their story, and I've got one more chapter to go.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


	45. See You Again

Hunting or Bust

Dust 40: See You Again

End of Creeping Darkness.

And with Volume 4, I finish Volume 1. It took fucking forever.

I'll try to make a promise that the next volume won't be so long and lengthy but...

God I'm an asshole.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am!" The school advisor admonished the students in front of her. Some of them flinched under her voice while others looked guilty for being in this situation. Glynda was bristling, "You had only one task to do today before leaving for your break, and you were late for it! How do you explain yourselves?!"

Jaune fearfully raised his hand, "W-we were actually listening to a story-"

"That was a rhetorical question, Mr. Arc!" He cowered back in his seat before the teacher rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. Her disappointment seemed to ease itself before she looked between them all, "All of you have done extraordinarily well for your first semester here. I will commend you for your efforts and how well you handled the ups and downs of it." They smiled between each other for her compliment before her glare returned, "But when the twelve of you are together, there is a serious dip in discipline and an increase in recklessness - and yes Ms. Schnee I mean you as well!" The heiress lowered her hand and Glynda turned to the headmaster, "Professor, do you have anything to say to our tardy students?"

The silver-haired headmaster looked between all the students gathered in front of them...

"Are you going to make sure to stay safe over your break?"

...

"Y-yes sir."

"Good." Ozpin smiled, "Then have fun and I expect to see you all in two weeks."

"Ozpin!"

"Oh, come now Glynda, no need to reprimand them any further. I understand how necessary it is to instill discipline, but keeping them after the semester has officially closed is simply cruel." He turned away as the students smiled and cheered in joy, "Now we have students from Vacuo to accommodate, and the ones from Atlas and Haven soon as well. Shall we get to work?"

Glynda's nose scrunched up with annoyance before she let out a heavy sigh and followed him back to his office. The kind headmaster gave them one last nod before he was off.

"WE'RE FREE!" Nora, Ruby, Naruto, Jaune, Kiba, and Yang all cheered as they ran out into the courtyard. There were still a few students wandering around the campus and they sent some looks their way at the group's celebration, "NO MORE HOMEWORK!"

"NO MORE TESTS!"

"NO SHARING BATHROOMS!"

"NO WAKING UP FOR CLASSES!"

"WE'RE FREE!" Ruby sprinted down the path at full speed, "FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Wow." Tenten smiled before turning to the others, "How do you think they'll react when two weeks pass in no time."

Pyrrha shook her head, "I think we should let them enjoy themselves for now."

"Ugh, I'm not going to miss this over the break." Weiss bemoaned while watching her team and friends dance around like morons. The last day of the semester and they still couldn't show any tact before leaving Beacon. She looked over at her Faunus teammate for agreement, "I'm not the only one getting an ulcer from their antics, am I?"

"..."

"Blake?"

"Huh?" She came out of her torpor and saw Weiss looking at her oddly, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"Was it about the docks last night?"

Oh right, there was that too. She'd almost forgotten just how much that was going to plague her mind as well. But right now she was noticing the surprised looks on some peoples' faces as they watched Naruto celebrate with their friends.

They were watching him because without his bandana they could plainly see his ears now.

"Hey hey hey, that looks like fun!"

They looked back to see Sun come up behind them while their teams celebrate the end of school.

"Hey Sun." Blake greeted the monkey Faunus before a casual smile settled over her face, "Were you finally able to get a room?"

"You know it! That hot scary teacher chewed my ear off for awhile, giving me a speech about responsibility and patience before I finally got a place in the dorm." He puffed his chest out with pride and smirked, "I'll make sure to break it in before my team gets here."

The others gathered around to meet her new associate. Pyrrha tilted her head, "And who might this be?"

"This is Sun Wukong. He's a student from Haven we met while we were...away." She turned back to the monkey and motioned to the people around her, "Sun, you met Weiss Schnee last night." Sun waved and Weiss was polite enough to nod back to the barely dressed young man, "Those two are Tenten Tamura and Pyrrha Nikos."

"Holy crap." Sun gawked at the sight of the champion in the flesh. Pyrrha continued to smile despite his shock, probably used to dealing with this response back in Mistral, "I heard you came to Beacon but I didn't think I'd actually meet you. Are you in the tournament too?" She nodded, "Oh...and I thought my chances of winning the whole thing were actually pretty good."

Blake ignored his melancholy tone and turned to the two boys, "And these are Lie Ren and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Nice to meet you! Naruto told me a bunch about you while we were slumming it up. Said you were a pretty cool guy, if a little grumpy." Sasuke rolled his eyes as Sun looked around the courtyard with a big smile, "Man, this is so cool! I never thought I'd actually get to come to Beacon! Hey, can I ask if any of you guys have seen these twelve-"

"Sun!"

They looked back to see the other half of their group coming back from their sudden celebration to rejoin their friends. Sun grinned and returned Naruto's high-five in an instant, "Saw you guys celebrating. Enjoying the freedom?"

"Absolutely!" It was their short ginger companion that answered the golden-haired monkey. She threw out her arms in celebration, "How could we not be excited?! And who are you?"

The curiosity about who the Faunus was seemed a little delayed but Naruto answered, "This is Sun. He's the guy we met in the city from Haven."

"I got to hang out with him and Blake while they were off learning a lesson or whatever."

"What did you guys do down in Vale the whole time?"

"You mean besides thwarting evil and being totally badass?" Sun shrugged, "We mostly ate food and played games while Sourpuss over there moped in the corner."

No one seemed to acknowledge Blake's face twist indignantly as Sun turned to his fox friend, "That reminds me, we never settled who won all the fights we had."

"Oh?" Naruto looked up in thought, "Oh yeah, I guess we didn't. That might be something we can settle when we get back from break."

"Is that so?" Sun crossed his arms before cockily smirking and raising his eyebrow, "That sounds like an excuse."

"Ooooooooooooooooooh~."

Naruto wouldn't admit that the chiding and jeering from his crowd of friends actually got to him, but he did at that moment feel the flames of war and competition burn brightly inside him. He grit his teeth before a rough chortle escaped his throat, "Okay...is that how it's gonna be?"

"Buddy it's been like that from the beginning."

"Then let's settle this."

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

The fox walked from his corner and slowly stepped over the stone tiles of the ruins. The blond was garbed in a long orange and red robe with baggy black pants. He traversed the ruins without shoes and held out a long, ornamental blade at his side.

He heard a laugh and stumbled back as a figure landed in front of him in a crouch. The monkey stood up, spinning his staff around expertly before it stopped at his side. He smirked and winked at his opponent.

The two took stances, taking their weapons as they waited for the moment their battle would commence. It was tense, their fingers tightening as their eyes narrowed with contempt.

The monkey disappeared in a burst of speed as he swung his staff out to strike under the fox's chin, the staff burrowing its way through the ground before coming up to strike.

The tip of his staff clashed with the sword as the fox was flung back and spun through the air before landing. He turned the blade into a reverse grip and charged before slashing across the staff. The fox was relentless as he attacked without pause in a shower of sparks. The monkey had to step back and change his position to counter the fox's attack.

When the robed swordsman went to attack again, the staff-wielder countered and swung his staff out for his head. The fox had to quickly stop and lean back as the staff came swinging in with enough force to shatter the pillar behind him into dust. The staff was pulled back and spun around with the force of a hurricane as the ends came down hard enough to tear the ground.

The fox raised his blade and blocked the spin of the staff with enough force to crack the ground beneath him. But the staff blurred when the monkey spun around and brought the other end into the fox's leg. His balance was knocked before the staff came around again and slapped him away in an instant. The fox flew through the air and hit the cliffside hard enough to split the rock completely.

The fox pulled himself out of the cliffside, blood steadily dripping down his face as he looked over to see the monkey showing off his staff skills. He grit his teeth and pressed his feet against the cliff before jumping off it, cratering the entire cliffside.

His sword came down on the staff and the air alone was enough to leave a gash on the monkey's shoulder. They separated and quickly reengaged as their weapons disappeared in a rush of blurs. The staff struck over the fox's body hard and fast, cracking bones and ribs along the way.

Where the staff couldn't block or defend, the sword came down like a guillotine. Cutting and carving and slashing its way through any exposed flesh the monkey couldn't protect. Blood splattered the ground as the two warriors battled.

The end of the staff came down on one of the fox's eyes hard enough to burst it within its socket. Blood gushed out and down his face but he refused to let up. He ducked beneath the swing of the staff and slashed out with a cut that gutted his stomach.

The staff went for the fox's other eye but instead of the eye it met the palm of his hand. The staff pierced through the fox's palm but the monkey realized he couldn't escape now.

With one swift slash, the sword came under his arm and sliced off the monkey's limb completely. He stumbled back in shock and looked down to see the sword through his abdomen now. Blood filled his mouth and he looked up at his opponent in horror before the sword came back through his neck.

The head rolled over the ground before the body toppled along with it. The fox dropped his sword and slowly pulled the staff out of his hand, the metal scrapping against the bone before it was finally out and dropped by his feet.

He bent down and grabbed the decapitated head by its fur. He held the primate's head up in victory and cheered. He had won.

**[Player 1 wins]**

"YEAH!" Naruto stepped back from his controls and hurrahed, "I WIN!"

"Bullshit!" Sun exclaimed and fiddled with his control board a few times, "These controls lag!" He pointed at the arcade screen while the fox did a little dance of glory, "That fight was totally unfair!"

"Oh stop whining."

"Fine! Then let me play first player!"

"Bring it!" The two switched spots and quickly brought up the character select, "I'll kick your ass a second time with a handicap!"

"In your dreams!"

Behind them Ruby, Blake, and Weiss watched the two new friends battle it out in the game. Ruby watched, totally enraptured by the last fight as she bounced with excitement, "They're good. I bet Yang or I could totally beat them if we tried but they're still pretty good. Hey, who do you think is gonna win now?"

The two girls more unfamiliar with the extremely violent video game stared in absolute shock at what they just saw. Weiss felt a shiver go through her back at the sights she just saw before shaking her head, "For an arcade game that was far more...visceral than expected."

"Oh yeah! Super Animal Bipedal Ancient Mortality 2 has the best finishing moves ever!" Ruby said with an excitement that unnerved the two older girls, "Rumor has it that the game developers actually observed Hunters fighting Grimm to get the fighting styles and the gore just right!"

Well that was terrifying.

"I call Rhino!" Sun said.

"Elephant!" Naruto followed as their fight started and the boys got ready for another intense fight, "Here we - o-oh wait."

"W-what's going on?"

"Congratulations, morons," Weiss droned, "You picked two characters so big they barely fit on the screen together. Now what?"

...

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You wanna go?"

"Yeah I'll touch ya. Watch me nudge."

"I think I'm done watching them." Blake made the move and Weiss happily complied, Ruby following behind them so she wouldn't get left behind.

After some serious blustering between Naruto and Sun, it was finally stopped when Ruby offered her bright idea. That they should settle it down at the arcade with a proper fighting game. The moment they arrived, the others realized they didn't want to just watch them fight and branched off to see what they could do.

The girls walked around and saw Jaune and Ren battling it out in a dancing game. What was most surprising was the fact the two were neck and neck, and their scores were nearly perfect.

Off to the side was an air hockey table where Yang and Tenten were challenging each other. It was fairly worrying to see how hard they were knocking the puck around, and how they used their Semblances at random points to get the advantage. And watching the speedy puck bounce back-and-forth was Sasuke, keeping a watchful eye as the girls lost themselves in the game.

And finally Nora and Kiba were playing whack-a-Grimm. Or more accurately, Kiba was keeping Nora at bay as the orange-haired powerhouse waved a hammer around in an effort to shatter the machine. She rambled on madly about wanting to get the universal highest record ever and Kiba had to catch her under her arms and off her feet before she could follow through with it.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby quickly came over to the redhead champion's side as she saw her standing in front of a virtual shooting range. The warrior looked particularly miffed as the hooded girl came to her aid and saw her low score, "Ooooh, what happened?"

"I-I tried to shoot down the Nevermore and Ursai that popped up, b-but I couldn't hit them!" Her shoulders sagged as she held up the rifle controller, "I think the sights on this are broken."

"Oh well that's your problem, dummy! You never use the sights on the controller! They're totally rigged!" Ruby snatched the plastic rifle from the older girl and started the game again. She started shooting Grimm as soon as they appeared, "You gotta eyeball it!" Pyrrha watched with interest at how fast Ruby shot down the targets, obviously having some experience with these games.

"That's amazing." Pyrrha marveled at the high score she got in one go, "S-so how well did I do in comparison?"

"Um...not well." Ruby shrugged, "But you just need some practice! Here." She handed back the controller and Pyrrha was prepared for the second round, "Now show no mercy!"

Blake and Weiss sighed in unison before finding an empty bench by the side for them to take a seat. The two girls fell back and relaxed amidst the cacophony of excited teenagers and children running around the arcade to play games. For the two girls it was probably the worst place for them to come for a relaxing outing.

"I can't believe I actually agreed to come along."

"I'm sure they'll get bored soon enough." Blake offered the heiress some reprieve from their current predicament. She groaned but she at least seemed a little relieved to hear that. Blake relaxed into her seat, noticing the stress that had plagued her just a few days ago was now nowhere to be found. She slowly opened her eyes again, "I can't believe we finally finished."

"And it felt like one very long, extended headache from start to finish." Weiss noted, "Four years to go." They shared a laugh at the idea of going through the same craziness of the last few months over another four years. If that realization came at any other moment then they would pass out from exhaustion, but right now they were just thankful that everything was right again.

Not normal by any stretch of the imagination, but right.

"I know you said everything was fine," Blake finally broke the silence between them as Weiss sat up beside her, "But I want to tell you about me. Not as an excuse, but because I don't want to hide myself from you or the others. If that's okay."

Weiss was silent before sighing with a nod, "It's probably a good idea. But we're sort of pressed for time right now. So how about we wait until we come back from break?" She tried to look unconcerned and nonchalant but the look in her eyes when she turned back to Blake was one of worry that she might have insulted her, "Is that okay?"

"That's perfect." Blake smiled, "Thank you."

Something rung in Weiss' pocket and she pulled out her Scroll to see a new message arrived on her screen. She sighed and pushed herself out of her seat and patted down her skirt, "That's my pickup. It's time for me to go."

Blake stood up as well, "Safe travels."

"Thanks." Weiss said, "And if you feel bored or lonely, you can call me anytime. Just so you're aware." Blake smiled with appreciation for her consideration as the Schnee girl sighed, "I suppose I should go tell the others goodbye...for all the chaos it'll cause me. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

Blake watched Weiss walk back to the machines to tell Ruby and the others she was heading back home. It was odd now that she gave it a moment of thought. She had been with these girls nearly every day for months now. And now they were heading back home to see their family.

And her? She was staying behind in Beacon.

It was going to be strange being in their room by herself. There were certainly advantages; no early morning rituals, showers at her luxury instead of her urgency, and she could read any book she wanted without having to worry about her team barging in at any moment.

Disadvantages...

Well, she'd keep the place together until they came back.

"NO!" Blake spotted Ruby hanging off of Weiss with tears in her eyes, "I didn't know it would be this soon! I'm sorry, Weiss! I promise to call and text you every three hours!"

"If you do that then I'll turn off my phone for the entire break." Weiss blankly answered as she stood stiff like a statue with Ruby crying on her. Yang quickly ran over and hugged her as well as the short girl squirmed, "Okay, enough! Let me go already!"

Yep...keep it together.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"So, what's this dump and why are we here?"

Nora asked the question on all their minds as they returned to the crappy building some of them knew as the hideout. Naruto had suggested a quick stop before heading back to Beacon and he had brought them here.

"You're kidding, right?" Sun groaned as his arms limply hung at his side, "Dude, I thought we were done with this place! I still got back problems from that stupid couch!"

"What is this place?" Ruby looked around curiously and pulled her foot back from a sticky area on the ground.

"Our old hideout." Naruto admitted as he stepped forward and looked around the room, "We stayed here during our thief days and over the weekend too."

"So why come back?"

Naruto looked back at his friends and smirked, his ears twitching on his head before he turned back around. He immediately dashed across the room and landed a diving kick into one of the couches, knocking it's back off completely as they others watched him crash into the ground. He quickly picked himself up and smiled, "I hate this place. I say we wreck it!"

They looked at him in surprise before Kiba scoffed, "You serious?"

"Absolutely!" Naruto clamored up to his feet and offered them the whole room, "Let's celebrate finishing the semester! Break shit! Go wild! Have fun!"

They looked between each other in question before Pyrrha asked nervously, "Naruto, are you sure it's a good idea to wreck a place like-"

The mattress went flying across the room and smashed into the wall besides them. They all looked over in shock at the black-clad Faunus dusting off her hands. All eyes were on her before she shrugged, "That bed was too uncomfortable."

...

Sasuke stepped up and kicked the bed until it completely broke apart. He stepped back and nodded, "It really was."

Sun was the next to join, jumping over and picked the other couch up from underneath. He flipped it and laughed, "That's for my lumbar, asshole!"

Soon enough the others started easing in and causing mayhem of their own. Ruby grabbed pillows and started ripping them apart with laughter. Ren picked up some trash and started crumbling it all up in all ball that he threw to Yang before she burst it with flame. Tenten charged into drawers with her body covered in Steel as she started to giggle. Pyrrha was hesitating before she raised her hands and metal parts started lifting off the ground. She threw them around into objects in the room as Kiba and Jaune started flipping stuff over.

"ANARCHY!" Nora yelled, grabbing the game system and spiked it to the ground. But when nothing hit she looked at her empty hands in wonder, "Huh?"

"Not the game system!" Naruto was right behind her, clutching the precious entertainment system to his chest, "You never break the game system! We could still use this!"

"Well what do I get to break?!" Nora huffed while the destruction around them halted for a moment. She crossed her arms in annoyance and pouted before looking down at the drawer the system was mounted on. She looked back up at the fox, "Can I break the stand?"

"You can break the stand."

"ANARCHY!" She picked it up with one hand and tossed it up to break high over the wall.

Naruto looked around at the destruction they were causing with the smiles on their face. A little release from all the stress and tension from the semester, or even just the last week alone. They all could use it. But it wasn't just for that.

This place was ruined now. They couldn't come back here even if they wanted to. He couldn't come back. And he didn't want to.

No more looking back.

Time to move forward.

**((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"_Squall_?"

"Yep! _Squall_! I looked it up and everything. Like a powerful gust of wind before a storm. It's perfect!" Ruby turned his old kodachi around in her hand before handing it back to him, "I can come up with some more names if you want!"

"Well looks like you really just need some time to make great names." Blake saw Ruby fume at the joke at her expense as Naruto smiled and started collecting his weapons together, "You can hold off for now. Most of them are broke anyway. I'm down to three and _Stormer_. I gotta figure that out before I come back."

"Maybe you can use a normal amount of swords this time, huh?"

"Aww~, you still sore cause I whopped your butt?"

Of course, her partner reignited an old argument and the two of them were quickly at each others' throats again. The cat girl just rolled her eyes and approached Ruby's side as her leader looked at the heated blondes with a weary tiredness, "Think they'll stop?"

"Maybe. I don't know anymore." Ruby reached into her locker and pulled out her scythe before hugging it closely, "I'm just glad I'll be able to bring _Crescent Rose_ back home now." Blake would never understand how Ruby could find such affection for her weapon like that, "Dad's gonna be so shocked when he sees how good I've gotten!"

"Not as much as me!" Her partner gloated and flexed her muscles, "Stronger then ever! Dad'll have to admit how great we are now!"

"You guys ready?" Tenten came up to them with her stick bag over her shoulder. Kiba and Sasuke followed up behind her before she smiled, "Come on, we have to go meet with JNPR before heading out."

"Coming!" Ruby hooked her scythe behind her and grabbed Blake's hand to pull her along, "Come on!"

She was nearly pulled off her feet from how fast Ruby yanked her from the lockers and out to the Bullhead docks. She could see Ren and Nora seeing off Jaune and Pyrrha with hugs and handshakes. Jaune was going off on the Vale flight while Pyrrha was on the shuttle to the Mistral airship.

They came up to the Bullhead and Ruby quickly turned back around to face her. She looked flustered while fixing her hair and dress, "O-okay, Blake, t-this is goodbye."

"For two weeks at max." Blake reminded, "There's no reason to be so upset."

"I-I know," It didn't seem like she did, "But are you sure you don't wanna come stay with us? You can bunk with me or Yang! We have plenty of room!"

She smiled at the considerate offer from her leader but shook her head, "I'll be fine. You just enjoy your holiday and I'll enjoy mine too."

"But you'll be by yourself."

"You know how much I enjoy my solitude."

"But-"

"C'mon Sis, no need to keep bothering her." Yang came up to their side and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders to calm her down, "Blake's a big girl. She might throw a tantrum every now and then but she can take care of herself." Blake glared at the unnecessary jab before Yang turned to her and she noticed a softness in her lilac eyes, "But we're gonna call you everyday to make sure you're okay, you got that? No excuses."

It sounded annoying and gratuitous...but she didn't mind hearing them everyday if she had to.

She smiled and nodded in agreement. She stumbled a little when Ruby jumped into her chest with a hug as Yang came around and got her as well. For once Blake didn't feel the need to fight back and just relaxed into their embrace. She got her arms around them in return and they shared a quick moment before separating. Ruby's eyes were watering and Yang chewed her lip before hiding it with a smile.

They waved goodbye and headed into the Bullhead as Blake waved in return. Once they were gone with Kiba and Jaune jumping in as well, the Bullhead lifted off to head for the city. She lingered around and watched the ship disappear into the city skyline before heading back to the building.

"Hey Blake."

Naruto walked over despite their Bullhead starting to pick up wind as well. She turned to face him and couldn't help the smile forming on her lips, "Won't you be late if you hang around any longer?"

"I'm sure they can hang back for a few more seconds." He joked but didn't sound like he had much basis for that confidence. He scratched the back of his head and laughed, "I just wanted you to know that I finished the book you lent me."

"And?"

"And I'm sold on books." He admitted in a defeated tone, "You win."

She didn't feel like she was petty enough to brag, but she certainly felt the little smirk that stretched her face.

"It's back in my room. Sorry I didn't get it back to you before-"

"It's fine, really." She stopped him before he could continue, "I'll just grab it when I can." She looked back at the Mistral shuttle and smiled, "Excited to finally go home?"

"Nervous and terrified beyond belief." He chuckled but his ears flattened on his head almost instantly. Apparently she wasn't the only one with expressive ears, "But excited all the same."

"Say hi to your father from me." She tried to keep her smile on but it slowly fell into a neutral expression. His smile straightened out as well seeing hers change before she spoke, "There's still a lot we need to figure out now with the White Fang working with Torchwick. And I want to talk with you too when you get back."

"Absolutely." He nodded before grinning, "But make sure to take some time to relax. Nothing's gonna come of you running yourself ragged."

She didn't feel like the worry was necessary but she nodded anyway to make sure he wasn't concerned. Naruto smiled again and laughed, "Make sure to have some fun before we come back, okay?"

"No promises." She smiled back before he grinned and waved her goodbye.

Blake made her way back to her room as the sound of Bullheads lifting off the docks faded from her surroundings. She made her way back to her room while her thoughts lingered on the craziness that happened last night.

The White Fang. The Noble Guards. Danzō. Adam. And Torchwick. They were all working towards something. Some goal that required ludicrous amounts of Dust. She was going to have to figure out what was going on...but right now she probably did just need to relax.

She heard something behind her as she reached her door and saw Sasuke returning from the docks as well. Since Itachi was his only family and god knows where he was right now, Sasuke had nowhere else to go. He probably declined any invitation to stay with his team as well, letting them enjoy their time back home while he got some time to himself.

He silently passed by and went for his door while fishing for his Scroll.

...

"I'm sorry."

He paused and looked towards her as if surprised to hear her address him. She couldn't blame him, considering how rarely she ever bothered to interact with him. She turned to face him properly and spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been putting a distance from you this entire semester. I did it for so many reasons. Because the Uchiha name scared me. Because I remembered hearing what that group did to White Fang members. I was afraid you would figure out who I was...that you would attack me...and I was even more afraid that you'd be right to do it. But you didn't deserve that judgement. And I'm sorry."

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, "You weren't wrong with that judgement. I was part of the Uchiha that hunted the White Fang so you were right being wary of me. But I would never have hurt you."

"I know that now," She admitted, "You aren't what I thought you would be. You carry a name synonymous with pain for the Faunus a long time ago, but you've proven that it's just a name. It doesn't have to mean anything from all those years ago.

"Except it's not just a name, and I'm no different from what you believed." He argued in a low voice, "The Uchiha are still out there instigating a war with the White Fang. And as long as they do that then it'll always seem like the Uchiha and anyone with a problem with Faunus are against a group fighting for them. The White Fang will never let that name die down with hatred like that. And I'm just as bad. You remember the story earlier today? I tormented and hurt that man, and got him killed."

"I know, but you didn't kill him. He was twisted by a life of pain, and what happened to him pushed..." Blake paused when she noticed the grimace on his face at her attempt to alleviate his guilt. She looked back at him, "I know a man. A kind old man that took care of me when I was younger. He told me about something called the cycle of hatred."

"Cycle of hatred?"

"Perpetuated hatred and anger that never ceases as long as we keep acting certain ways to each other. What we say to each other. How we look at each other. But what you're doing, trying to help all kinds of people despite what your name may carry...I think he'd agree that you're a good step away from that cycle." She looked him in the eyes and nodded, "Thank you, Sasuke."

He looked at her in surprise before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. She noticed him hesitate and clear his throat before nodding in thanks, "Thank you."

"What are you guys doing~?"

Sasuke quickly rubbed his eyes of tears she wasn't even sure had come out as Ren and Nora came back from sending their team off as well. Nora came to a stop in front of them, stop being the operative word because even now she was shaking in place, "Anything fun or interesting going on?"

"No."

"Oh come on, there has to be something! Anything!" Nora pleaded, "Ren just wants to go and take an early rest!"

"I believe we should use this opportunity to reenergize and reinvigorate ourselves. The next semester is sure to be a hectic one, and we need to prepare ourselves for it while we can."

"Ugh, so boring~!" She ignored Ren's sagely advise and turned to her and Sasuke, "What about you?! You're doing something exciting, right?! Right?!"

She shook her head, "I'm just going to read before going to bed."

"I was thinking of a new training program to get my hands into working condition again."

Blake immediately noticed the defeat in Nora's watering eyes as she fell to her knees. She hung her head and cried, "Nooooooo~! All the fun people left and I got stuck with the boring brigade!" Blake felt a modicum of indignity at being referred to as such but she immediately felt worried when Nora looked back up at them, "Wait! Sasuke, Naruto brought the game system back to your room, right?!"

Oh no.

The fool didn't seem to realize what she was asking when he answered, "Um, yeah. It isn't hooked up yet-"

"Doesn't matter!" Nora jumped back up to her feet and Blake felt a pit form in her stomach, "Let's have an all night gaming marathon where we play tournaments and anything else we can find on that console!"

"I'd rather not."

"No."

"No thanks."

"Denied!"

They had her beat in numbers, but Blake quickly realized that she had them overwhelmed in energy and refusal to back down. She quickly found herself getting pulled into NKTS' room along with Ren and Sasuke as Nora started listing off everything they would do in this gaming marathon she had proposed. It didn't sound great.

But...they didn't have school tomorrow, so no harm she supposed.

Plus she could get her book back.

**((((((((Epilogue))))))))**

Clusterfuck.

That was the only way Roman Torchwick felt like describing the situation at the docks. Useless flea-ridden soldiers. Some prick with a snazzy Semblance and zero training as his main support. And, of course, Little Red and her gang of Merry Nosy Assholes ruining their operation.

They only got away with a fraction of the Dust they were expecting to take, and some of the White Fang had been captured in the process. Luckily they were just some new recruits who didn't know anything so even if they were interrogated or tortured they wouldn't be able to give the authorities anything.

But enough about the waste, he had to focus on himself!

It was his ass on the line if he didn't supply enough Dust! If she got word of this...his goose was cooked. And by goose he meant his internal organs.

He sighed and rubbed between his eyes as he realized he needed to reorganize this effort quickly before he got killed.

Luckily...he had just the people coming in to assist him.

Roman suddenly felt a small weight perch on his back and cover his eyes. His sight was blocked by the surrounding darkness and whatever was hanging off his back moved around to better position itself around his neck.

"Hmmm. Tiny hands like claws around my eyes? Jumping on my back like a monkey? Sneaking up on me like a ghost? Granny Torchwick, is that you~? And here I thought you were watching over me from that cozy little troll bridge in the sky."

The hands pulled away from his eyes and slapped his shoulder as the weight settled off his back. He turned around and gave a hearty chuckle at her expression, "Well you were going to be my second guess."

The young lady in question looked far too young to be apart of his criminal organization, standing at a diminutive height that betrayed her ruthless, dangerous nature. Her hair was a mix of brown and pink, with streaks of white mixed in the pink. Her eyes blinked and turned red up at him in anger as she put her hands on her hips. She probably didn't appreciate the hands like claws and monkey on his back jokes at her expense, and with her umbrella in hand he didn't feel like risking it.

"Oh, it's a joke. Come on, laugh a little." She pouted and raised an eyebrow at his request, eyes going grey as if to ask why he even bothered. The orange-haired crook sighed and shrugged, "Okay, how about I treat you after this? Would that make it up to you?"

And like the flip of a switch she was perky and smiling up at him, her posture easing into place with her eyes turning back to normal in their mix of brown and pink. Sometimes he thought she just used her adorable pout and the implication that she would gut him as a way to get treats or gifts out of him. Emotions. Threats. Intimidation. All in a mix of lies in order to extort things out of him.

God, he had taught her well.

"So Neo," He smirked as the short girl looked back up to him, "I hope there were no problems on the way back." She shook her head and grinned in the devious way that said even if there was trouble, it didn't stay like that for long, "And our guests?"

"I would say she was the perfect little escort."

The gravely, hoarse voice reached his ears even with the noise of the White Fang members moving supplies around the warehouse. Torchwick looked over to see a tall, pale man emerge from the darkness and make his way towards him. The man had a lean, almost sickly thin face and long silky black hair. And he was dressed in a black outfit with a long black sash tied around his stomach enough for a length of it to hang off him. His eyes were yellow with slits down them as a thin smile grew on his face, "Nice to see you again, Roman."

"After all this time and I still feel like something is winding up my leg every time I see you." The crook started to laugh, "And yet I still feel better working with you than any other animal in this warehouse."

"I think that says more about you than it does them or I."

"Maybe." Roman shrugged before reaching into his coat to grab a cigar, "You aren't insulted by the 'animal' thing, are you? Feel like I'm walking on pins and needles with all these babies around. Can't even take a little race joke."

"If that's enough to get them riled up and stop their progress, then they deserve it."

"See. That. That right there. That's why I can always enjoy working with you, Orochimaru. You're a snake that at least knows how to act professional."

"And it's always a rewarding experience to work with you as well, Roman." Orochimaru nodded, "That and despite your loud mouth, you can at least keep some discretion."

"Well I know better." Roman lit the cigar and took a long puff if it before leaning against the crate behind him, "I heard all about the politicians and businessmen that wanted to out you lot after getting to use your services. Such a shame how their guilt took them over like that."

"I know. Such a shame." Orochimaru agreed in a level tone.

"Now are you sure you want to go in on this venture with us?" Roman blew out some smoke as Neo titled her head at the snake, "Might take awhile, and you probably won't get a chance to work with any other potential customers while with us."

"That's fine. If this task is as interesting as you promised then I'm sure I can cope. If not then there'll be some choice words between us." He turned to give them a better look of the warehouse, "Until then..."

Other members of the operation jumped back or yelled in surprise when they finally noticed the figures in black that had snuck in and around the warehouse. Dozens of them slowly stepped into their peripheral as White Fang members started to murmur in suspicion.

"Elysium is at your service."

Roman chuckled and rolled his eyes, "I'll never understand why you named your business after the School of the Undead. A spooky story, really?"

Orochimaru answered with a shrug, "Seemed apropos at the time."

"Hmmm. Well I guess I should introduce you to who we're working with." Roman drawled before whistling loudly across the warehouse, "Han, come meet our guests. Don't be shy."

The massive figure trudged over and stopped behind Neo. The short girl craned her head back as far as possible to look up at the gargantuan horse Faunus that lugged over her. She turned around and smirked while he narrowed his glare down at her. He turned to look down at Roman and his guest, "What is it, Torchwick?"

"I wanted to introduce you to a new associate of ours. Orochimaru, this is Han. One of the White Fang's rosy-cheeked new volunteers. He's apparently a special little guy, someone you'd be quite interested in knowing."

"It's nice to meet you." Orochimaru greeted the stoic giant and looked him over, "Quite a statuesque fellow, aren't you?"

Han didn't seem to bother returning the greeting to his fellow Faunus and looked back to Torchwick, "The leaders are busy at the moment recruiting more Noble Guards, so until they return I'll be the middleman between your plans and them."

"No arguments here." Torchwick already had more than enough trouble dealing with the problem children in his life right now. If he could get some time away from the moody redhead then he was all for it, "The big cheese probably won't have any complaints either."

"You shouldn't go presuming you understand her at all."

Ugh...oh boy. The chuckleheads.

They all turned to face the two approaching figures. One a shorter girl with dark skin and light green hair, the other a tall boy with dark grey hair and a smirk on his face. Roman sighed, "Oh great, you're back already. And here I thought I'd get a few more fleeting moments of peace before my walking migraines arrived."

"Believe me, the feeling is absolutely mutual." The girl responded, crossing her arms and scowling at the orange-haired crook.

"We got an earlier trip over to check and see how badly you screwed up." The boy noted with a tone full of mocking joy at seeing Roman suffer, "Glad to see your scummy hideout is just as dirty as the last time we came over to clean up your mess."

"Well of course you did." Roman cooed the two of them, "That's what the cleanup crew is for, remember? Cleaning up the shit while the big boys play."

"Was that big boys playing?" The girl snarked, "Seems like you started shaking in your overpriced boots and needed us to close for you."

"Aw~." Roman covered his heart and swooned, turning to Orochimaru, "They're just so cute with their sharp little tongues. Makes me want to take a knife, open their mouths and just...just teach them lesson."

"You can try if you want." The boy laughed and raised an eyebrow, "You'll just be giving us a reason."

"As entertaining as this little back-and-forth is, let's show a little professionalism, shall we?" Orochimaru didn't even bother to regard the tension between the three of them, and waved off their legitimate antagonizing to address the two young strangers, "And may I ask who you two may be?"

"You can ask as much as you want," The girl's face settled into a smug smile, "But don't expect to get an answer."

"Kufufu, I suppose I should have expected." The snake laughed, "I forget how rebellious children can be in their youth. I doubt you would listen to anyone of authority at this age, would you?"

"I would." Her eyes narrowed, "If they were strong enough to earn it. Just haven't quite met anyone to measure up."

"She's Emerald Sustrai and I'm Mercury Black." Emerald turned to her associate and glared venomous daggers at him as he shrugged, "This was gonna go on forever if you kept being a pain in the butt. Bite the bullet."

"When you say Black, might you be referring to Marcus Black?" Mercury smirked as Orochimaru chuckled, "Well, I'm surprised to see we have such a blood-stained legacy in our midst. Sorry to hear about what happened to your father, lad."

"Meh, someone had to be." Mercury took quite a bit of enjoyment out of seeing their mixed reactions to his indifference.

Roman groaned, "I have no idea where in the gutter she pulled them out."

"And another thing. Roman, I've always appreciated your vision, but this hardly seems like your kind of game. So if you aren't the mastermind, then who was it that brought us all together?"

"I suppose that would be me."

Sharp heels clicked against the warehouse floor loud enough to echo across the entire warehouse. All eyes turned to her as she slowly made her way over, her hips swaying with each step. Han's eyes narrowed and Roman looked away while Orochimaru looked at the woman with curiosity. Neo just looked calm as Mercury smiled and Emerald beamed at her arrival.

The woman was beautiful. Gorgeous to anyone with eyes. Her long black hair hung over one bare shoulder of her crimson and yellow dress that ended at her thighs. Her piercing eyes took all of them into account but didn't seem to feel wary of their presence.

Like she didn't even consider any of them potential threats.

"Cinder!" Emerald's voice had more genuine joy in it than the last few minutes as the young woman passed by, "I didn't think you'd actually come."

"And be so rude to our new guests? Never." She stopped in front of Orochimaru, "So you must be the director of Elysium Roman told me so much about."

"Orochimaru." He bowed to the lovely lady and took her head to lay a small kiss on the back of it, "At your service."

"What a gentleman." Cinder took note of his gesture while Emerald narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pale man, "Cinder Fall. And I'm the one that requested Roman ask you to join us."

"An honor."

He stood back up tall, towering over their elegant leader before she asked, "And Roman made sure to inform you of what this mission may entail?"

"Of course. He warned me of the dangers and horrors we'll commit...but the rewards and promises just seemed too inviting to pass up."

"Wonderful." Her voice never raised from a sultry warm hush before looking over at Torchwick, the cocky crook going stiff under her gaze, "Once Roman has procured enough Dust, we can start heading out and beginning the next phase."

Roman sighed, "The fact you expect any more is disconcerting enough."

"And what exactly are these phases we're planning?" Their attention all turned to the horse Faunus as the giant man shrugged his shoulders, "If you don't mind me asking."

"All in due time, I assure you." Cinder smiled and looked between the key players surrounding her, "But rest assured...if you help fulfill our plan...everything you hoped for will come true."

Survival.

Enjoyment.

Identity.

Purpose.

Recognition.

Evolution.

All of it promised...as long as they could bring this world and its structures tumbling down.

Cinder turned on her heel and made her way back out the way she came, Mercury and Emerald following behind her like the loyal retainers they had become.

"Everything in place...soon enough."

**((((((((Hunting or Bust))))))))**

_**Done**_

_**From this point on I'll try shorter chapters/arcs. I'll probably switch Naruto's fighting style to something simpler, I thought it seemed cool at first but it became harder to explain along the way. Still have the blades, but might use fewer, your suggestions wouldn't hurt. Also, debating whether to do joke chapter or actual chapter next, feel free to pick.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed our villains meeting. Roman, White Fang, Elysium, and the Cuntly Crew.**_

_**Next volume's gonna be fun.**_

_**ReadxReview**_

_**Thank You and Bye**_


End file.
